A Wizard's Fairytale
by reviewgirl911
Summary: YEAR HIATUS AU: The Potters survive the attack but are convinced by Dumbledore to put Harry with the Dursleys. 5 yrs later, an abused Harry is rescued by his godmother. What will happen when he shows up at Hogwarts 11 yrs later to compete at the TWT?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So, I know I have other things to update, but I was in the car, bored out of my brain, and this came to me. I hope you enjoy it! Reviews are always welcomed! Disclaimer: Totally JKR's, not mine.**

**Summary: AU- Lily and James survive ****the attack, but Dumbledore convinces them to place Harry with the Dursleys for protection until his eleventh birthday. Five years later, a starved and beaten Harry is rescued by his furious godmother, Suzanana Kalgarias. She takes him in, adopting him as her own in more ways than one. What will happen when Aries Kalgarias shows up at Hogwarts eleven years later with Beauxbatons for the Triwizard Tournament? **

**Warning: Dumbledore smashing and slight Lily/James smashing. **

In the tiny cupboard of a nice house on 4 Privet Drive, a little boy sat shivering, cuts and bruises all over his body. This wasn't unusual for the boy, nor was he surprised by such treatment. You see, Harry Potter was used to this, used to shivering every night in a cupboard and being beaten by his uncle. To him, this was normal. He was the Freak after all. No one liked the Freak. The Freak didn't deserve nice things. The Freak was worthless.

Thunder rumbled outside, and Harry resisted the urge to jump. He couldn't make any noise. He'd just get in more trouble. Uncle Vernon would get out the belt. Harry didn't like the belt. It stung when it hit his arms and back. The belt was better than a punch though. Harry had had plenty of those too. He had lots of bruises.

Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia never let him out of the house. In fact, they liked to pretend he didn't exist. Dudley got to go out all the time, to lots of places. Harry didn't get to go anywhere. Harry was the Freak. He couldn't do anything right. Aunt Petunia had grudgingly sent him to school with Dudley, but she had forbade him to take off his jacket. If he took off his jacket, everyone would see the Freak's scars. The Freak had a lot of them. Nobody ever cared anyway.

Every night, when Harry was just about to fall asleep, he made a wish. He wished for a family of his own, one that loved him or at least liked him. He tried not to hope for too much. He hoped for a mother and a father and maybe even a sister. He didn't want a brother. Dudley was mean enough. He wanted a nice little house and maybe even his own room, a small clean space all his own. He wished for this every night, but it hadn't come true. Harry's only family was the Dursleys. His parents dumped him there as soon as they could according to his aunt. Nobody wanted the freak.

Until, one day on his sixth birthday, Harry was sitting in his cupboard reading a book he had stolen from a classroom. It was a wonderful story about a family that has adventures inside a wardrobe. He had to hide the book since his aunt would never let him have it in the house.

Suddenly, he heard someone knocking on the Dursley's door. Someone, presumably Aunt Petunia, went to answer it. She shrieked, and then there was silence. Harry strained his ears. Then he realized someone was unlocking his cupboard. He squeezed his eyes shut. It was probably Uncle Vernon back with the belt. "Harry," a light voice cooed. This wasn't his aunt or uncle or even his cousin. Nobody ever called him Harry. He opened his eyes. It was a pretty woman with wavy brown hair and tan skin. She had twinkling blue-green eyes. The light illuminating behind her made her look like an angel. She reached out to touch his arm, and he shrinked back. The pretty lady frowned.

"Who are you?" he croaked, his voice hoarse from a lack of food and water.

"I'm your godmother," the pretty lady explained. "My name is Suzanana, but you can call me Aunt Zana."

"I have a godmother?" Harry asked in disbelief.

Zana nodded. "Yep," she confirmed. "And I want you to come live with me."

Harry was shell-shocked. "You want me?" he stuttered. "You want the Freak?"

Zana frowned again. "You're not a freak, Harry," she explained gently. "You're a wonderful little boy. You deserve better than this."

Harry decided to ask a question that had been on his mind for a while. "Where are my parents?"

Zana's face darkened. "Your parents loved you a lot Harry, more than you will ever know, but they let themselves be manipulated by a cruel old man. He's the one who put you here."

"And you want me?" Harry repeated, wanting make sure this was real.

Zana nodded her head fiercely. "Of course I want you," she exclaimed. "You're my godson. I love you." Harry froze. He had never heard anyone say those words to him. "Will you come with me?"

Harry didn't even want to think about his answer. "Yes," he said automatically. He liked his Aunt Zana already. She was pretty and she loved him.

Zana smiled. "Good. Now let's go, Cub." She held out a hand to him, and he tentatively took it. Zana almost cried when she felt how cold it was but resisted. Harry hesitated for a moment, pointing to his few meager belongings. Zana shook her head. "We'll get you new clothes and toys later," she reassured him. He pointed to a book. She strained her eyes to see the title. Zana's face broke out into a grin. "Don't worry, I have that whole series at home. You can read all of them if you like. I have tons of Muggle fairytales too." It was Harry's turn to smile. "Ready to go?"

Harry nodded. After a few Memory charms on his awful Muggle relatives, Zana and Harry were off. It was the last knowledge the British Wizarding World would have of Harry Potter.

Zana watched her godson sleep, anguish on his face as he twisted and turned. Nothing pained her more. It had taken her so long to find him. Dumbledore had done an excellent job at keeping it secret, she had to admit. Eventually, she had just slipped a little Vertiserum into James's goblet one day at tea, and he'd told her all she needed know. She'd erased his memory of the encounter. Normally, she'd feel bad, but James and Lily stopped being her friends when they let Dumbledore put Harry with those awful Muggles "for his own safety." Safety her arse! Those Muggles had nearly beat and starved Harry to death. To Zana, there was no greater dishonor than this. Zana was a Kalgarias, after all, and their first loyalty was to their family. You did anything you needed to do for family. James and Lily had forgotten this. They had placed Harry with Lily's sister and forgotten all about him, even going as far as to have another child when Harry was three. And Lily had just announced that she was pregnant again. Zana tried to protest this, but they said Dumbledore was keeping an eye on him. She doubted it. She didn't trust the old headmaster, never had. Anyone who could sit back and let this happen to a child was not a good man. And of course, this had alienated her from all her school friends. Everybody trusted Dumbledore and was willing to die for him. Even Sirius, the man she loved more than anything, believed him over her, thus signaling the end of their relationship.

Harry let out a terrified squeal in his sleep, and Zana felt her heart break. He didn't deserve this, didn't deserve any of this. She should've stopped Dumbledore. She should've rescued him sooner. Her godson had scars all over his body and face. He looked worse than Mad-Eye. She kissed his forehead softly and started to sing an old Greek lullaby, the same one her mother used to sing to her. Thankfully, Harry stopped flailing and started to sleep easier. Zana smiled. She kissed his forehead softly once again and whispered, "Sweet dreams, little one."

A few weeks later, Harry woke up in the small country house his Aunt Zana had rented for the time being. He loved his Aunt Zana. She was kind and pretty and told him the best stories he had ever heard. She kissed him and hugged him and told him he wasn't a freak. She explained magic and their world to him, explained how they could do things no one else could. Harry hadn't believed her at first, but then she had asked if he had ever done anything he couldn't explain when he was angry or scared. Harry had nodded.

He liked his new rooms. It was colorful and bright, so different from his cupboard. Aunt Zana had let him decorate it himself, not caring if the colors clash. He liked his new clothes too. They fit him perfectly, so unlike the hand-me-downs from Dudley. He also enjoyed his lessons. Aunt Zana was tutoring him in both Muggle and Wizarding subjects. He was also learning Greek, Aunt Zana's native language. She also told him stories of her times at Hogwarts, wonderful stories. When he asked why none of them loved him anymore, she simply replied, "I love you, Harry. I'll always love you."

He was just reading the third Narnia book when his Aunt Zana knocked on the door. That was one of the rules of the house. You absolutely always had to knock on the door before entering the room. "Come in," Harry replied. Aunt Zana came in. She was wearing one of her crazy-patterned dresses and a cowboy hat. Most people would think this was weird, but he had become accustomed to his aunt's crazy clothes. In fact, he liked them.

"Harry, I want to talk to you about something," she started. He nodded. She continued. "We've been here a few weeks, but I don't think it's safe. The old coot," their name for Dumbledore, "can easily find us here. I think I have a solution." She paused for a moment. "I want to adopt you."

"Adopt me?" Harry stuttered. He could hardly believe it. He'd have a parent all his own!

"Yep," Zana said. "Both legally and magically."

"Magically?" Harry repeated.

"There's an old blood ritual," Zana explained. "It will make you my son in blood. It's technically illegal, but I know someone who is willing to help me do it."

Harry thought about it for a moment. "After the ritual, would I look like you?"

Zana smiled. "Yes, you would."

"I want to be your son," Harry stated softly. Zana hugged him tightly. Then he asked another question. "Can I call you Mama?"

Zana kissed his forehead. "Of course you can. And we'll pick out a new name for you, a Greek name." Harry perked up at this. He loved Greek mythology. They had a lot of cool names.

Harry had one last question. "Mama?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes?"

"What about my scars?"

Zana sighed. She knew they would have this conversation. "There are glamours we can use to cover them up," she explained. "Personally, I don't mind them. All they show me is a very strong, brave little boy who has weathered more than he should have to." She smoothed down his hair. "They make you stronger."

Harry nodded. And so, Harry James Potter was, technically, no more.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey! Thanks for all the reviews! Sorry I didn't update this sooner. I've been suffering from a terrible combination of PMS and writer's block. Now it's time for Harry and Zana to leave England for good. The stuff in italics is supposed to be Greek. Hope you enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, but I can tell you the name of every Next Generation kid and who their parents are.**

A few weeks later, Zana and Harry left the small countryside home they'd been renting and headed off for Greece. Before she did anything else, Zana needed to get the Head of the Kalgarias family, her Papou, to accept her petition to make Harry a Kalgarias, one of them. She had no doubt in her mind that he would. Her Papou had always doted on her, more so when her parents died during her third year at Hogwarts. Plus, she couldn't imagine anyone not liking Harry. He was the sweetest, most polite little boy you could possibly meet. There was a sad quality about him, something in the way he smiled, that made your heart bleed out to him. He was broken in the way no child should be. Zana wanted to make him strong, wanted to give him a family who would fight and even die for him. He deserved nothing less.

Zana was snapped out of her thoughts when she felt Harry stirring besides her. Despite her tireless efforts, Harry was still too skinny for her liking. Though six years old, Harry looked as though he couldn't be any older than for. "Mama?" he said groggily.

"_Hey baby,"_ she cooed gently. "_Good dreams?"_ Harry bobbed his head yes. He looked at the window of the Muggle airplane they were in. His mama had decided to take an airplane so they could go undetected by the "crazy old coot" as she called Dumbledore. It was a private jet so that no one would gawk at Harry's scars. Harry had never been on an airplane before, but he liked it. It was just like he had seen in books and the rare glimpses of TV he got to see at Mrs. Figg's.

"_Mama?" _he asked again.

Zana brushed his messy black hair out of his eyes. "_Yes baby?"_

"_Will they like me?" _The question was so heartbreaking Zana almost dropped her Diet Coke. She gently grabbed her son's chin and turned it towards her, making sure he could see her eyes. Blue-green eyes met green eyes. "_Harry, they will like you," _she comforted. "_They will love you because they will be your family, and that's what family does. They love each other."_

Harry frowned. "_The Dursleys were my family, and they didn't love me," _he whispered, scared that they could somehow hear him. Zana felt something twist tightly in her chest. She would never forgive those awful Muggles for what they did to her son, and she would never forgive James and Lily for allowing him to be placed there.

"_Harry, listen to me," _she said urgently. "_Those people may be related to you by blood, which is why the old coot put you there. Unfortunately, Dumbledore forgot that family isn't always the people you share blood with. Family is those you love with all your heart, those who you would die for and who would die for you." _Zana paused, making sure her words for sinking in. This was an important lesson for him to learn. "_The Dursleys are not your family, nor do they deserve the family. I'm your mother, and my family will be yours too. Okay?"_

Harry nodded. He understood what his mother was trying to tell him. "_Yes, Mama," _he replied.

Zana smiled at him. Harry loved seeing his mama smile. She was so pretty. "_Good boy," _she praised, knowing this would earn her a smile. And it did. Harry thrived on affection, on the loving attention he had never been given, and Zana was more than willing to give it. Noticing the time, she nudged Harry. "_Look out the window," _she instructed. "_We're home._"

Harry leaned over his mother to see out the small window. She was right. As they emerged from out of the clouds and began to land, he could make out the beautiful ocean and island lined with houses. It all looked like a dollhouse from up here. Harry wished he could fly. His mama had promised she would teach him how to ride a broom soon. He couldn't wait. And so the little boy got lost in his day dreams as the plane began to land. Zana smiled. This was a new beginning. 

Lily Potter sighed as she got up from her bathroom floor. She hated morning sickness. She remembered it not so fondly from when she had been pregnant with Andrew. She'd been practically glued to the toilet. With Harry, however, she'd rarely been sick. Oh, Harry… The redhead's heart hurt just thinking about her eldest son. After Voldemort's attack on their home, Dumbledore urged them to place Harry with Lily's sister and husband for safe keeping, insisting that blood wards would keep the boy safe. Both Lily and James had been reluctant to follow this advice. Lily knew her sister and how she felt about magic. Lily didn't even want to think about what Petunia would do to her son. James had been just as adamant, insisting they could protect Harry and keep him safe.

Dumbledore, however, waved their worries away with a flick of his wrist. He insisted that Petunia had grown out of her petty hatred of magic and would be more than happy to take the boy in. He emphasized that Harry would be surrounded by fame if he grew up in the wizarding world, never getting the chance to have a normal childhood. Dumbledore added that it would only be temporary, until Harry's eleventh birthday. Then they would go get their son and explain everything to him. They would set up an account sending the Dursleys a certain amount of money each week to take care of Harry with. With this, Lily and James departed with their sweet baby boy.

Brushing her teeth, Lily wondered how her sweet little boy was doing. Dumbledore had convinced her not to write to her sister, figuring that it would only strain the bond between Harry and his relatives. He was six now, she realized with a start. Only five more years to go.

Her thoughts quickly turned to her best friend Zana. Truthfully, Lily was worried about her. Zana had been increasingly distant ever since they'd sent Harry away. The Grecian beauty hadn't approved of the decision and made that clear to everyone. Lily could understand her best friend's coldness. Harry had been her godson, and like Sirius, she had doted on him. What really worried Lily was Zana's increasing erratic behavior. She was always going off and not telling anyone where she was going, and even more recently, she had broken up with Sirius. Lily knew something was up there. Sirius and Zana had been in love, the fiery passionate kind of love that comes from two fiery passionate people. She had been sure the two would get married and was estatic when Sirius finally proposed. Two years ago, however, the pair broke up. Both remained tight lipped about. When Lily asked Sirius what happened, he simply stated that they had chosen different paths.

She spit into the sink and turned the facet. After washing her face and brushing her hair, Lily headed back into her living room. James was sitting on the floor playing a game with Drew. James kept letting a Snitch go, and Drew kept trying to catch it. He didn't get it that often, but when he did his face would light up into a wonderful smile. Lily just stood there and watched her boys.

James noticed his wife standing against the wall, smiling as she watched them. He let the Snitch go and walked over towards Lily, planting a kiss on her neck. "Feeling better?" he whispered.

Lily smiled at him. "Yes," she stated softly, her eyes on Drew. The peaceful family moment was interrupted by a loud banging sound. Drew, frightened, ran and hide behind his mother's leg. Lily smoothed his messy auburn hair down with one hand while clutching her wand tightly in the other. Fortunately, it was just Dumbledore.

"Professor, what are you doing here?" James asked in total shock. Somehow, Lily could sense horrible news coming.

"James, Lily," Dumbledore addressed gravely. "Harry's been kidnapped from his relatives' home." With those few words, the world of the Potters was shattered. 

Harry looked at the beautiful Mediterranean sea. Greece was very beautiful. He couldn't imagine anyone wanting to live any place else. When he had asked his mama if this was what Heaven looked like, she had just laughed and kissed the top of his head.

He closed his eyes, listening the sounds of the waves. It felt good to be outside and away from all the chaos of the Kalgarias family. Not that he minded, of course. Harry liked his mama's family, and what was better was that they seemed to like him in return. His para yia yia had kept exclaiming how thin he was and how he needed fattening up. His papou had been impressed with his quick understanding of Greek and questioned him on different subjects his mama had been teaching him.

In addition to his grandparents, he also had numerous great aunts and uncles in addition to his mama's own brother and sister. His mama's older sister, Chloe, had married a man from the village, Kostos, and they had two daughters and one son. Eli was twenty-six and already married to a French girl named Colette. The couple was expecting their first child soon. Their older daughter, Athena, was twelve, six years older than Harry. Athena had a mothering nature, and she'd immediately started acting like Harry's older sister. Harry didn't mind. He had always wanted an older sister. Their other daughter, Iris, was Harry's age. She was nearly as shy as he was, and therefore the two were instant friends.

His uncle Cyrus, his mama's older brother, was also married to someone from the village. He and Etna had one baby girl and were expecting a boy very soon. Lina was a very active baby who latched on to Harry almost immediately. His mama had just laughed and said that he was a girl magnet already. Harry took the joke in stride. He finally had a family. 

A few days later, a highly illegal and secretive ritual took place. Of course, the Kalgarias never cared too much about the rules. The ritual took place in the old chamber of the Kalgarias family home. It had been around for centuries and would probably remain for much longer. Tell me your secrets, the walls seemed to whisper.

A small cloaked boy stepped forward. All the elders of the family were standing in a half-circle. Their cloaks were black while Harry's were blood red. A deep voice spoke. "State your petition."

"I, Harry James Potter, petition to be reborn into the Kalgarias family," Harry stated softly but firmly.

"And why should we grant your petition?" the voice asked.

"Because I have died inside," the meek voice answered. After an unanimous vote, one of the cloaked family members took out a knife. Chanting a sacred old spell, the cloaked figure cut open their finger and gestured to come forward. Harry cut open his finger as well and pressed it against the other's, whispering an ancient chant as he did. This went on until he had done it with every family member. The cut on Harry's finger healed instantly.

The voice spoke again. "Harry James Potter, rise," it commanded. "You are now Aries Thomas Kalgarias. Our blood runs through your viens, and yours runs through ours. May you ever be protected by our family." And so the end of Harry James Potter came. He was now a Kalgarias.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey! Thanks for all the reviews and questions! They're always super helpful. So now Aries is arriving at Hogwarts, and things are about to get interesting. Will the Potters discover his secret? Keep reading to find out! BTW, the stuff in** **_italics_****is supposed to be Greek and the stuff** in_ italic__ underlined_ **is German. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. My life just isn't that good. *frowns***_  
><em>

_Eleven years later…_

Aries Kalgarias stared out of the window of the Beauxbaton carriage. The sky was beautiful and blue, similar to the first time he had been on an airplane with his mother. He tried not to think of that now. He was going to Hogwarts to win the Triwizard Tournament. He couldn't get distracted. Too many things depended on this.

"Aries?" a voice said gently. Aries turned to see his best friend, Gabrielle Delacour, looking at him with concern. "Are you okay?" she asked gently. Aries cursed himself mentally. His emotions must've been showing on his face. He couldn't let that happen at Hogwarts. They would figure out his secret. Aries had to keep his emotions, his hate, locked down while in England.

"I'm fine," he answered curtly, turning back to the window. Gabrielle pursed her lips but said nothing. After almost ten years of friendship, she had learned when to push Aries and when not to, something that became particularly hard after Zana died. It broke her heart to see Aries change into the guy he was now. The smiling dreamer she had befriended as a girl became hard and cynical, rarely letting people see what lied in his heart. But Gabrielle remembered, and she knew, and she wouldn't forget. She knew his secrets.

Aries pulled out some parchment and a quill and began writing a letter to Athena. His favorite cousin had made him promise to send her a letter the minute he stepped foot in England, and he didn't want to face her wrath. He also began a letter to his little sister, who was staying with family friends back in France while he was in England. Lena had been very upset when he told her he was going to compete in the tournament, but he managed to get a smile out of her when he told her she might be able to come watch the tasks if she was a good girl. Lena was the most important thing in Aries's life, and he hated seeing her sad. It definitely didn't help that she looked so much like their mother.

The time seemed to fly as Aries finished his letters and sent them off with his trusty owl, Zeus. Zeus was a spotted owl who had been an eleventh birthday gift from his mother. Zeus nipped at his fingers before leaving. He looked out the window and saw that they were starting to land. Aries gently shook the shoulder of a sleeping Gabrielle. "**We're here,**" he whispered in perfect French. Aries was a master of languages due to the gypsy life he and his mother lead up until he was eight. Whatever new place they moved to, Aries quickly mastered to language.

"**Already?**" another voice asked. Aries turned around to see Jacques Duparc starting to wake up. Other than Gabrielle, Jacques was probably his best friend. Aries was very popular amongst the students, but he was close to few. Those few he trusted immensely. It was hard for him to trust anyone outside his family.

Aries laughed when he saw how his friend's hair was sticking up. Jacques noticed Aries's laughter and grabbed a mirror, groaning at the bedhead he was now sporting. Gabrielle joined in the teasing, and Jacques glared at them. "**We all can't have Veela genes,**" he complained to Gabrielle, who stopped laughing and stuck out her tongue at him. "**Or freakishly good Greek genes,**" he added, looking over at Aries. He simply shrugged. It was well known that everyone in his family was good looking. Fortunately, Kalgariases only ever married for love so Aries didn't need to worry about his yia yia trying to marry him off.

The carriage landed, and Aries took a deep breath. You can do this, he told himself mentally. You are strong. You are whole. He repeated Henri's mantras to himself, remembering the day he had started training with Henri.

* * *

><p><em>Eleven years ago…<em>

Henri stared at the little boy Zana had brought to him. He was small, too small for his age, but that was nothing nutrition potions couldn't fix. He had numerous scars all over his face and body. The ones on his face went in a zig-zag pattern starting down at his cheek and going all the way up to his forehead. The ones on his body looked more like a web than anything else. The boy had been beaten and bruised, but Henri wasn't worried about the scars. No, the scars could be covered with glamours. What he was worried about was the boy's spirit, his soul. He had been beaten and broken, and that was what Henri needed to fix. He needed to show this boy that he was worth something, that he could stand up and face his monsters.

"_Stand up,_" he instructed in German. The boy quickly got up. Henri observed how the boy stood, with his shoulders hunched down like he was waiting for someone to strike him. He put a hand on the boy's shoulders. Aries, Henri now remembered his name, flinched slightly but stood his ground. Good, Henri mentally praised. He wasn't completely broken. Something, some kind of light, flickered inside of him. "_When you stand,_" he stated, "_stand with pride. Put your chin up and your shoulders back, and stand like you're worth it._" Aries copied the stance Henri described. The change was remarkable. Thought the stance wasn't confident yet, Henri knew it would be in time. "_Lesson number one: Always carry yourself with pride because you're worth it. Never let anyone tell you different._"

Henri stopped, letting his words sink in. This was an important lesson. Aries needed to know this, needed to know he was worth something. After a few minutes, the boy looked up at him, meeting his eyes, and smiled. "_Yes, sir,_" he responded. Henri had to laugh. This was going to be interesting.

* * *

><p>Lily Potter sighed as she looked out into the lake. The Triwizard Tournament was about to happen, and she couldn't muster up any kind of excitement for it. All she could was that if Harry were here, he would be old enough to enter. At the beginning of every school year, the only thing Lily could think about was Harry. Ever since he went missing from the Dursleys, she waited for his eleventh birthday when he would get a Hogwarts letter and come back to her. Sadly, this day never came. She looked for him every year but with little success. After the Sorting feast, she would go to her chamber and cry for the son she had lost.<p>

Other than the loss of their eldest son, life had been relatively good for the Potters over the last eleven years. Lily had taken the job of Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts, and James had been promoted to Head of the Auror Department three years ago. Drew was now a fourth year and a prankster, constantly getting into trouble. Their daughter, Rose, had just started her first year at Hogwarts.

She looked at all of the students gathering by the door. Everyone was eager to see the foreign students. Lily spotted Drew and his friends whispering about something, probably a prank. She saw Rose standing over with a bunch of her new friends. Lily knew James and Sirius were coming as security, but she didn't see them yet.

Suddenly, there were gasps everywhere. Three large carriages pulled by giant horses landed on the grass. A lady that could rival Hagrid's size stepped out of the first one. She was dressed elegantly and walked with sophistication towards Dumbledore. She extended her hand, which the headmaster kissed, and asked if he was well in accented English. Dumbledore welcomed her graciously and invited her into the castle. The Beauxbaton students followed. The guys were drooling at the gorgeous girls while the girls were fixated on the attractive guys. The last two to exit the carriages were a boy and the girl. The girl was possibly the prettiest of all the girls with long platinum blonde hair that seemed to shine and large sapphire eyes. She walked with a grace that seemed inhumane. The boy was no slouch either. He was tall, probably about 6'2, with broad shoulders and decent muscles. His face was roguishly handsome. His hair was a slightly wavy black-brown, and his Mediterranean coloring and strong features gave away his nationality. His eyes, a light green, seemed familiar to Lily, though she couldn't place how. Then he smiled, and she realized something. That was Zana's smile. That boy must be Zana's son.

Aries looked around the school his mother had loved so much with curiosity. This was the castle his mother had loved so much? This was the place he had heard countless stories about as a kid, clamoring onto every word? Frankly, he was disappointed. He had expected something grander, more charming. Beaxbatons was a much prettier castle. Then again, he also knew that appearances were deceiving.

The Beauxbatons students waited along with the Hogwarts students for Durmstrang. Aries concealed his excitement masterfully, but Gabrielle and Jacques could still tell he was jittery. It was a best friend sense the two possessed. He couldn't wait to see his cousin, Iris. She had been sent to Durmstrang to the mutual disappointment of the cousins. They were still as close as they were when they first met, and Aries hadn't seen her since July.

The Durmstrang ship landed, and Kargroff walked out. Aries made a quick face undetected by anyone. From what Iris told him, the man merely strutted around the castle while the teachers and students kept it running. He watched as Karkaroff greeted Dumbledore. The Durmstrang students quickly followed. Aries spotted Iris and smiled. She saw him, and her face broke out into a grin. Breaking from her line, she ran over to where he was standing with Gabrielle and Jacques. Iris gave him a huge hug. Aries hugged her back and only scowled slightly when she reached up and ruffled his hair.

The other students watched with interest as the two foreigners interacted with each other. Beauxbatons and Durmstrang were no more linked than any other school, and yet these two interacted with remarkable ease. It didn't take Lily long to realize they must be related. The girl had similar coloring and features to the boy. Probably a cousin, Lily decided. Zana had a lot of family.

Iris began talking rapidly in Greek. "_How have you been? How's Lena? We didn't get to see much of you two this summer. You were only home for two weeks, and then you went God knows where," _she rambled on.

Aries laughed at his cousin. "_Slow down, Ris. Take deep breaths,_" he teased.

Iris slapped his arm. "_Don't tease me, Aries Kalgarias, or I'll tell Yia Yia how you accidentally set her stove on fire and blamed it on Nia."_

Aries glared at his cousin. "_You wouldn't,_" he accused.

Iris smirked. "_Watch me,_" she challenged. Aries rolled his eyes but said nothing. He quickly changed the subject.

"_How's Papou?" _the handsome young man asked. Iris frowned.

"_He's been better,_" she responded. "_Yia Yia is worried about his heart."_

"_Don't worry,_" Aries reassured. "_He's a Kalgarias. We're made of harsh stuff._"

Finally, Gabrielle got tired of not knowing what Aries and Iris were saying. "Guys," she said in accented English, "either talk in French or English please."

Aries smirked and mocked bowed. "As you wish, my lady," he teased.

Gabrielle rolled her eyes, turning to Iris. "How in the world do you put up with him?" she questioned.

Iris shrugged. "He's blood," she simply stated. Aries, Gabrielle, Iris, and Jacques started to make their way inside along with the rest of the students. What Aries didn't know was that he was being studied by both Lily and his mother's former fiancé, Sirius Black. Both these people knew one thing. This mystery boy was certainly Zana's son, and there was also no way he could be.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey! Sorry for the lapse in updates! I've been trying to get some of my grades up! So, just to clear some things up, Aries and Gabrielle are both seventeen. I know that confused a lot of you. Sorry for not making that clearer! Enjoy the chapter! As always, bold **is French, and _italic _is Greek. **Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter! What idiot would assume that?**

Aries, Iris, Jacques, and Gabrielle entered the Great Hall. Aries looked around with interest. His mother had been right about one thing. The ceiling was magical. It was enchanted to look like the night sky, dark and full of beautiful twinkling nights. He was reminded of all the times he had laid on the roof of whatever house his mother and he were living at and simply admired them. Aries liked looking at stars. More so, he liked the idea that, no matter where you go, the sky never changes. You always see the same moon and the same sun. Iris seemed to be in awe of it as well.

"_That's beautiful,_" she murmured softly in Greek as they sat down at the tables designated for the foreign students. Instead of sitting with her fellow Durmstrang students, Iris had stayed with Aries and the Beauxbaton students. Aries had to agree with his cousin's statement. No matter how tacky the rest of the castle was, this was truly amazing.

Gabrielle raised her eyebrows. "I thought you two were going to let us in on your secret club," she teased. Truthfully, it irritated her that she couldn't speak Greek because Aries used it so much of the time. Sure, she had picked up a few phrases over the years, but she dearly wished to speak the language. Gabrielle never understood how her friend knew so many.

"Sorry," Iris blushed. It always felt awkward going back to school after a summer back home. The Kalgarias family flowed in and out of Greek in conversations without even noticing. This happened mostly amongst the younger children. Her parents knew English as well as her aunt and uncle, but her grandparents (technically great-grandparents) and great aunts and uncles didn't.

Aries just smirked at her. He never had problem transitioning to different languages. He suspected it was from years of moving around and hearing people speak different languages. Like his cousin, however, Aries's default language was Greek.

Iris stuck her tongue out at him. "Really mature," he teased. Gabrielle and Jacques just watched this squabble with amusement. It was nice to see Aries unwind a bit. Their attention was quickly turned to the Hogwarts headmaster. Aries discretely narrowed his eyes at both his biological mother and father sitting at the professor's table. He recognized them from his mother's pictures. She had always made sure he knew what they looked like, showing him all her old pictures from Hogwarts and when he was a baby.

"I want you to forgive them one day," she had requested during one of these times. Aries had simply nodded his head, but he never intended on doing that. He could never forgive them for putting him with them, for so carelessly abandoning him. For not being good parents.

Lily and James seemed to be deep in discussion. Aries immediately recognized the man to James's right. It was Sirius Black, the man his mother had loved to the point of madness, the one she would cry over at night when she thought he couldn't hear. A rage boiled to the very core of Aries. He wanted nothing more to harm this man, to cause him pain. Ironically, this man was also his godfather.

Dumbledore stood up to make welcome the foreign students, but Sirius didn't hear a word that came out of his mouth. He was focused on the Beauxbaton boy, Zana's son. Sirius hadn't felt this confused in years. The boy certainly looked like a Kalgarias from what Sirius knew. He had the olive skin, roguishly handsome good likes, and height of a Kalgarias male. He had Zana's smile, the smile Sirius had treasured for so many years. And yet, Sirius had doubts. The boy's eyes, a light green, seemed out of place. Blue and blue-green eyes were the norm for a Kalgarias. No, those eyes, they didn't belong to a Kalgarias.

The boy's expression exiting the carriage had been one that didn't belong to someone that young. It was one of strength, the kind of strength that only came with being broken and put back together. His expression was hard and cold, reminding Sirius greatly of an experienced soldier. His eyes, however, gave away his emotions. The green eyes blazed with anger, an anger Sirius didn't know the source but felt nevertheless. The boy met his eyes, and Sirius looked away immediately. How the hell could a kid that young be so angry? One thing was sure. He was definitely watching out for him.

Sirius tuned back into Dumbledore's announcements. "We are honored to have both the Beauxbaton Academy and Durmstrang at Hogwarts for the Triwizard Tournament," the old Headmaster boomed. "And now I present Mr. Barty Crouch to explain the rules." An older, worn-out looking man stepped forward. Aries immediately recognized the man. Henri had told him Crouch was a heartless bastard who threw his own son in Azkaban. To the Kalgarias family, such an act was almost as bad as murder. Above anything else, the Kalgariases valued family. Aries would sooner have a Dark Mark on his arm than throw any of his cousins in Azkaban.

Mr. Crouch cleared his throat. "To ensure that the Tournament runs smoothly, we have taken extra precautions," he droned. "No student under the age of seventeen will be allowed to enter the Tournament."

This announcement got many reactions. There were students shouting in protest everywhere. It took a few minutes for the room to quiet down. Mr. Crouch continued talking, but nobody was really listening to him. Finally, Dumbledore took a sheet off the object in front of the room. It was a goblet and an old looking one at that. The Goblet of Fire, Aries mentally reminded himself. Henri had told him about it when the dark-haired boy decided to enter the Tournament.

After explaining the Goblet of Fire and its rules, Dumbledore dismissed the students. Aries started walking out of the room with his friends and cousin when a little first year stopped him.

"The headmaster wants to see you," the young boy squeaked.

Aries nodded and waved the boy away. Gabrielle and Iris gave him a worried look. Iris knew her cousin's secret, that he had once been Harry Potter, and she also had heard how manipulative Dumbledore could be. Gabrielle was thinking along similar lines.

"**Aries...**" Gabrielle began softy.

"**It's fine**," Aries insisted. "**I'll be okay,**" he reassured his friend. "**The old coot won't be able to get inside my head.**"

Iris sighed. "_Be careful,_ _cousin," _she murmured. _"And use your head for once._"

Aries smirked at her and fake-bowed. "_Yes ma'am,"_ he teased, walking towards where he knew the Headmaster's office was. This ought to be interesting...

Albus Dumbledore sat in his office, Sirius Black nervously pacing around. Lily and James Potter were both seated, but Lily was just as anxious as Sirius. Zana had been her best friend in school, after all. Dumbledore thought back to the beautiful student of his that had seemed to vanish off the face of the Earth eleven years ago. Coincidentally, around the same time that Harry vanished from the Dursleys'. At first, he had suspected Suzanana of taking Harry, but he had ruled out the possibility because no one but he, James, and Lily knew where Harry had been placed. Still, the loss of such a great witch had saddened him. Dumbledore had been discretely looking for Suzanana for years, but nothing ever came up. Wherever his former student was, she was extremely good at covering her tracks.

Which was why the arrival of this boy who appeared to be her son was very interesting for a number of reasons. First off, there was the fact that this wasn't Zana's biological son, which brought up the question of who this boy was. He was obviously related to Zana, but in what respect? Even more suspicious was his enrollment at Beauxbatons. Why wouldn't Zana enroll him at Hogwarts? Why was she trying to hide?

Dumbledore was snapped out of his thoughts when Aries Kalgarias stepped into the room. His first initial impression of the boy was poise combined with strength. Aries stood tall, his head up and shoulders back. It was the way soldier stood. His face was expressionless, but the aging Headmaster could sense some hostility under the mask. He tried prodding into the boy's mind, but to his surprise was kept out.

"I wouldn't do that again, sir," Aries warned casually. There was no way in hell he was letting the old coot into his mind.

This shocked everyone. Dumbledore merely smiled. This boy would be tough to crack. "Aries, m'boy, why don't you sit down?" he suggested.

Aries, however, remained standing, all his instincts on alert. He noticed his biological parents and godfather sitting nearby. "Does this have anything to do with school, sir?" he questioned. "Or is it about my mother?"

Lily and Sirius both noticed an edge's to the teen's voice, as if he was challenging the headmaster. Dumbledore took no notice of this. "Well, your mother was a favorite student of mine..." he began.

Aries had had enough. "My mother is dead," he stated bluntly. Both Sirius and Lily looked stunned. Dumbledore's eyes lost their twinkle. "Is that all?"

"How long?" Lily croaked, her eyes locking onto Aries.

"Four years," Aries answered softly, his mind going somewhere else. He held the gaze for a moment before turning away. Lily was reminded of something, someone, after looking into Aries's eyes. Someone she had known once ago...

Aries walked towards the exit and then stopped, turning around and facing the Headmaster. "Oh, and sir," he started. "I could see having a professor here and it being school business, but two Aurors? I better be careful. If I so much as break a lamp, you might bring the Minister in." With that, Aries exited. Despite everything, Sirius started to laugh.

"Padfoot, what's so funny?" James asked carefully. He suspected his best friend had just lost his mind.

Sirius stopped laughing and wiped away the tears that had fallen down his face. "That's so something Zana would've said," he explained. With that, Lily started laughing too. James looked at his best friend and wife. It was official. He was the sanest Marauder.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey! Sorry about the lack of updating! I'll try to work on that. I know there were a lot of complaints about the last chapter being a filler chapter and that it wasn't realistic. The first thing I can't do anything about. Sorry, sometimes writers just have off weeks. The second thing, however, I've tried to justify in this chapter. I'm not sure how much actual action is in this chapter, but I can gurantee they'll be some in next chapter since it will be the chapter where the champions are selected along with some Aries/Potter interaction. As always bold is french and** _italics_ **is Greek. Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. Insert clever remark here!**

Aries walked back into the Beauxbaton carriage, thoughts rushing through his heads. He had seen his parents, the people who had tossed him with them so carelessly. A part of him, a huge part of him, wanted to scream and break something, anything. He wanted to do something that would get rid of the huge rage growing in his heart. The more practical side of him, however, reminded him that he needed to stay calm. Aries had a mission. He couldn't be distracted. He needed to win the Tournament. So many things were riding on this. He needed to win for Lena, for his mother, and for his freedom.

Aries sighed, drowning in his thoughts as he entered his room that he shared with Jacques. Not surprisingly, both Jacques and Gabrielle were waiting up for him. Though technically the part-Veela shouldn't have been in the dorm rooms so late, Gabrielle had a way of breaking rules with remarkable ease. Probably a result in being friends with me so long, Aries thought wryly to himself. Aries had never set much store in rules. It was just the way he was raised. "It's okay to break a rule," his mother used to tell him, "if you have a good reason." Most of the time, he did.

"**Aries! What did Dumbledore want? He had no right to call you to his office. Madame Maxime is furious! She's filing a complaint with their Ministry!" **Gabrielle ranted, her cheeks beautifully flushed. Aries had to bite back a laugh. He always thought Gabrielle looked cute angry.

"**Geez, Gabrielle. Give the guy a chance to breathe,**" Jacques remarked from his bed. Aries noticed the same worry in Gabrielle's eyes in his. He decided to tell them what was going on.

The Greek boy sighed. "**The old coot wanted to know about my mother,**" he said. "**I told him that she was dead. Lily Potter asked for how long, and I said four years.**"

"**Lily Potter?**" Gabrielle repeated, outrage in her voice. "**The Potters were there?**"

Aries nodded grimly. "**Yes,**" he confirmed. "**And Sirius Black.**" Gabrielle noticed Aries's eyes flash from sad to angry.

"**What right did they have?**" she shouted. Gabrielle knew Aries's real identity, knew about the childhood he hated to talk about. She knew about the scars on his face, covered by glamours. She was one of the few people without the name Kalgarias that did. Jacques and the majority of the Beauxbaton students didn't know. Even their headmistress didn't know.

"**None,**" Aries stated bluntly. "**I agreed to go see Dumbledore because I knew it was inevitable. Hopefully now his curiosity will be satisfied. It wouldn't be good for him to start digging around.**"

"**And the Potters?**" Gabby asked.

Aries shrugged. "**Who cares?**" he shot back. "**I'm going to bed.**" Jacques and Gabrielle both watched worriedly as their best friend headed to the bathroom to change. Though Jacques didn't know why the presence of the Potters his friends so much, he was still anxious for Aries. He knew his friends had a tendency to bottle everything up. Hopefully Aries would be able to come to them. He sighed. It was something to think about it the morning.

* * *

><p>A half-hour later, Aries emerged from the bathroom to find his roommate asleep and Gabrielle gone. Rolling the eyes at the sight of a still-fully dressed Jacques, he started to unpack some of his stuff. The first thing he brought out was his pictures. There was one of him and his whole family in Greece, taken last summer. It was a picture full of activity that best summed up the Kalgariases. Another picture showed him and Lena standing in front of the Eiffel Tower. Lena was on his shoulders and smiling broadly. Aries smiled slightly at the sight of his little sister. He really did miss her. There was a picture of him, Gabrielle, and Jacques at the Delacour manor taken two years ago. Aries's favorite picture, however, was a very old one. It was of him and his mother standing in front of their house right after they had moved to France. He was smiling broadly, his messy hair being blown by the wind. His mother had her arm around him, her hair wild as always. She was smiling just as broadly as he was. She was wearing a patchwork dress with scuffed up gray boots and a pageboy cap. Aries touched the picture gently. Memories were swirling back to him...<p>

* * *

><p><em>Nine years ago...<em>

"_Aries?"_ Zana shouted out in the still somewhat messy house. The family of two had just moved in a week ago, and most of their stuff was still in boxes.

"_Yes, Mama?_" Aries shouted back. Zana suspected he was organizing his room. Her son was a neat-freak down to the last detail while she just went with the flow. The beautiful witch suspected it had to do with his upbringing. Aries always took extraordinarily good care of his things because he knew what it was like to be without them. She sighed, wishing she could take all the pain of her son's early life away. He still had scars, she knew, both mentally and physically, but at least he had a home now.

"_Come down here please. I would like to talk to you,_" she requested. Zana heard her son's footsteps coming downstairs. She was sitting in the kitchen with a cup of tea. Aries appeared suddenly, his hair hidden behind a baseball cap. Zana identified it as one they got at a Muggle baseball game in America. The team was called the Tigers or something silly like that. She smiled at the sight of him. Zana always smiled when she saw her son.

"_What's wrong, Mama?_" Aries asked worriedly.

Zana ran her hand over his hair. "_Nothing is wrong, my son. I just want to talk to you._" Aries sat down next to his mother. She poured him a cup of tea, and they drank together quietly. After a few moments, Zana spoke again. "_Aries, I want you to promise me something_," she explained carefully. She had a feeling her stubborn son wouldn't like her request.

"_What, Mama?_" Aries asked curiously. His mother never acted this serious unless something was wrong.

Zana grabbed his little hands and squeezed them gently. "_I want you to promise me that, if you ever run into the Potters one day, you will forgive them._" Seeing her son's shocked and indignant face, she continued speaking. "_Forgiveness doesn't make what they did okay_ _by any means. That's not what forgiveness means. You can always forgive people, but never forget._"

Zana watched as Aries seemed to mull this over in his little head. For only an eight year old boy, he was mature and smart. In fact, she usually felt like the child in their relationship. Finally, her little boy spoke up. "_I don't want to forgive them,_" he stated. "_They don't deserve it._"

"_Of course they don't,_" she soothed. "_But I don't want you to forgive them because they deserve it. I want you to forgive them because it is unhealthy to have so much hate festering up in your heart. Understand?_" Aries nodded. "_Good. Now, how 'bout you go get Fleur and Gabrielle and we'll go get lunch?" _He immediately ran off to retrieve his best friend and her older sister.

* * *

><p>Aries frowned. No matter what his mother had asked, he wouldn't forgive the Potters. He couldn't. They had inflicted so much pain on him, and that was something he could never forgive. The Greek boy continued putting his things in place. A dreamer catcher Athena had made him was hanging from the top of his bed. His cousin had woven in a Dreamless Sleep charm into, something for which he was eternally thankful. A few of Lena's pictures were pinned by his bed. He smiled at the sight of the latest picture she had given him. It was supposed to be him and her by the coast, but all he really saw was some colorful scribbles. Nevertheless, he loved the picture and had told his sister so. After making sure all of his pictures were in place, Aries put extensive protective wards around his bed and stuff. Maybe a little unnecessary, but being trained by Henri had made him paranoid. Lastly, he hung up the two-way mirror Henri had given him before heading off to school for the summer. Aries whispered the name of the person he wanted to see.<p>

"Aries?" the voice replied.

Aries smiled. "Hello, Rue," he replied cheekily.

"Already in hell I take it?"

"Yep. How are things?"

The girl's voice was emotionless. "Fine."

"Are you eating?"

"Yes."

"Are you lying?"

"Maybe."

"Any messages?"

"No. The boss seems to want to let you settle in first. I wouldn't expect one for a while."

"Okay then. Talk to you later Rue. Take care of Lena."

"Okay Aries. Don't do anything stupid."

"Me? Never! Goodnight Rue."

"Goodnight Aries."

* * *

><p>The next morning, Aries, Jacques, and Gabrielle walked to the Great Hall with the other Beauxbaton students. Gabrielle and Jacques were talking quietly while Aries took in the scenery. He didn't find Hogwarts beautiful by any means, not after spending so much time in Greece, but there was something interesting about the castle. He could picture his mother here, laughing and flirting and being free. It was a good thought.<p>

After Aries finished his food, he walked up to the Goblet of Fire and dropped his name inside. Iris caught his eye for a brief second. Her look seemed to say 'My cousin is a total idiot'. Aries smirked at her.

Gabrielle watched this interaction, amused. Aries always seemed to have silent communication with his family members. Of all his cousins, he was closest to Athena and Iris. Suddenly, Zeus swooped in and dropped a letter for Aries. He picked it up and looked at the handwriting. A grin broke out onto his face. Most of the other students were shocked by this show of emotion by the seemingly aloof Beauxbaton student. For those who knew him, however, it could only mean one thing. Lena had written him a letter.

Aries opened it carefully and something fell out. Curious, he picked up something the appeared to be on a chain. He read his little sister's letter carefully. The handwriting wasn't too bad, but she wasn't a very good speller yet.

_Deer Aries,_

_I miss you a tons! Rue is teaching me lessons but they are not as god as yours. She says if I'm a god girl I can come see you in the first task. She thinks it's crazy to asum that you'll be picked, but I now you will. Nea said that Kalgarias all ways win. I sent you a dragon teeth for god luck bee cause the Quibbler said it was lucky. I can't weight to see you! Write soon!_

_Lots of love forever,_

_Lena_

Aries laughed and picked up the necklace, putting it around his neck. Iris came over and picked up the letter. She smiled.

"_She is so cute_," Iris laughed. "_Remember when we were like that?_"

Aries snorted. "_No_."

Iris raised an eyebrow. "_I distinctly remember you wanting to be a pirate. You walked around with a ridiculous eye patch for days before one of the great aunts hid it_."

If Aries had been anyone else, he would have blushed. As it was, he was a Kalgarias, and they did not blush. "_And this is coming from the girl who pretended to be a mermaid on a rock every day for weeks? And then you got stranded, and Uncle Cyrus had to swim out and get you_."

Iris narrowed her eyes. "_Touché, cousin_." Neither of the Kalgarias noticed an old senile Headmaster watching them, interest in his eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

It was Halloween. Hogwarts was buzzing with excitement as the students got ready for the picking of the three champions competing. Iris, to the surprise of her fellow classmates, did not put her name in the Goblet of Fire. In fact, she continued to give Aries a hard time about entering. Iris thought her favorite cousin was being a reckless idiot.

"_People die in this tournament, Aries_," she reminded him as they did homework outside with some of the other foreign students. "_What will happen to Lena then, huh?_" Aries smirked. His cousin did know what cards to play. Lena was probably the most important person in the world to him, and Iris knew it.

"_I'm not going to die, Ris,_" Aries reassured her casually.

Iris rolled her eyes. "_Yes, because I should definitely trust the judgment of a guy who has voluntarily entered a dragon reserve."_

Aries shrugged. "_Stop worrying. I haven't even been picked yet," _he reminded her.

"_You will be,_" Iris insisted. "_I can sense it._"

Aries raised an eyebrow. "_What are you, a Seer now?_" he teased, knowing his cousin's disdain for Divination. One of their great aunts claimed to be a Seer, but all she ever did was proclaim that her husband was finally going to die this year. Needless to say, the couple didn't get along well.

Iris scrunched her nose. She mock-glared at her cousin. There was a relaxed silence before she spoke again. "_Aunt Zana wouldn't want you to do this_," she pleaded.

The look Aries gave her was scary just because of its blankness. She had grown to be able to tune herself in to her cousin's emotions, to see what he was feeling even with that stupid emotionless mask on. Right now, however, she felt nothing. "_If she was here,_" he said quietly, but loudly enough for her to hear, "_I wouldn't have to._" For Iris, this was the end of the argument. Aries turned back to his book, and Iris started to pray mentally, pleading with God to keep her cousin safe.

* * *

><p>Everyone took their seats in the Great Hall. Iris, forced by one of her friends, sat with the Durmstrang students for once while Gabrielle and Jacques sat with Aries at the Beauxbaton table. Aries noticed both Lily Potter and Sirius Black giving him looks. He smirked inwardly. They were starting to catch on. Well, this would be fun...<p>

Dumbledore stood up and started talking. After a few minutes of brattle, the Goblet glowed. "The Beauxbatons champion is..." he started. A piece of paper flew out of the Goblet and into Dumbledore's hands. "Aries Kalgarias!" Sirius and Lily exchanged a brief glance. This was going to be interesting.

The Beauxbaton table went crazy. Aries stood up, his face still cool and collected, and walked out towards the room. He caught his cousin's eye and winked. Iris smiled at him despite her initial worry. This was a good thing for Aries and their family.

"The Durmstrang champion is... Anastasia Holender!" Dumbledore shouted over the still cheering Beauxbaton students. A beautiful dark-haired girl with dark eyes walked towards the door Aries went out through, her chin up and a sly smile gracing her lips. The Durmstrang students cheered as well, though a bit more coarsely than the refined Beauxbaton students.

"The Hogwarts champion is... Draco Malfoy!" The Slytherin table started to cheer, but the rest of the Great Hall remained silent. None of the other houses would've picked Malfoy to represent them.

The Goblet's light went out, and Dumbledore moved towards the door to follow the champions out when something odd happened. The Goblet started glowing once again. It spit out another name. Dumbledore grabbed it and read it out loud. "Andrew Potter!"

Drew Potter froze in his seat. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. Did his name come out of the Goblet of Fire? It couldn't have! He certainly didn't put in there. Sure, a few of his friends had been speculating about how to put their names in, but he knew better. Despite how great all the glory sounded, he knew it wasn't worth it. According to his dad and Hermione Granger, people had died in this tournament!

"Drew, go," Ginny Weasley, a six year, hissed, pushing him towards the front of the room. Drew walked forward though his legs felt like lead. He looked over panicked at his parents. His dad nodded at him to go forward, but his mother looked terrified. Drew gulped and entered the room. He was the fourth champion.

* * *

><p>Aries and Anastasia, or Ana as she preferred to be called, were chatting amiably while Malfoy sat with his nose up in the air. Aries knew Ana from his travels. He and his mother had spent about two months in Russia and a few weeks in Ana's village. In that short time, Ana's mother had fallen in love with the two. He and Ana exchanged regulars every so often, but he hadn't seen her in four years, not since the funeral.<p>

Which, apparently, Ana noticed as well. "Mama wants you to come visit soon," she informed the handsome Greek boy. "And bring Lena as well. How is she?"

A small smile graced Aries's lips. "She's good," he replied cheerfully. "She's in a phase where she always has a thousand and one questions and thinks I'll have every single answer."

Ana laughed. "I wonder who that reminds me of," she teased.

Aries smirked. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he responded.

Ana rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say." There was silence between the two friends before she asked. "When will you be in Russia again?"

Aries shrugged. "Probably next winter. Around Christmas maybe."

"You're not staying in France? Or Greece?" Ana asked suspiciously.

Aries shook his head. "I promised Lena I would take her on a year-long trip. We're going to go everywhere."

"So I take it this means no job lined up?" Ana guessed.

"Right now, the most important job I could have is taking care of Lena," Aries corrected. "Everything else can wait."

Ana smiled softly. It was amazing how much Aries loved his sister. Then again, she was the only connection to his mother he had left in the world. "She's lucky to have you," she stated quietly. Aries smiled sadly at her. Neither wanted to discuss the circumstances in which he had come to take care of his little sister.

The room was silent until Drew Potter walked in, closely followed by Dumbledore, the Potters, some of the Hogwarts professors, and a few Ministry officials.

"What is going on, Dumbledore?" Madame Maxime asked in her thick French accent. "Why is this boy here?"

"It seems that a fourth champion has been selected," Dumbledore announced gravely. "Drew Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire."

Aries almost laughed at the looks of outrage on both foreign headmaster/mistress's faces. He felt bad for the kid. He was shaking madly. Aries's mind filled with possibilities. It was obvious Drew hadn't put the name in the Goblet of Fire. Sure, all this nervousness could be faked, but he knew that Potters weren't great actors. His mother had told him they were see-through when it came to their emotions. That meant someone put the name in the Goblet, and it was probably someone out to hurt the Potters. A Death Eater maybe? Aries decided to talk about it with Rue later.

"This is a disgrace!" Karkaroff shouted. "I believe the rules only said one champion per school, or perhaps I misread them?"

"We should both get one more champion," Madame Maxime argued. "It is only fair!"

"I'm afraid once the Goblet has chosen, it will not reopen until the next tournament," Barty Crouch explained solemnly. "Mr. Potter will have to compete in the tournament."

Everyone turned to look at Drew. "Drew, did you put your name in the Goblet of Fire?" Dumbledore asked seriously.

"No," Drew answered nervously.

"He is lying!" Madame Maxime shouted. "He is lying to avoid trouble!"

"My son is no liar!" James replied angrily. "If he says he didn't put his name in, he didn't!"

"Well, of course he didn't," spoke an unexpected voice. The adults turned to see Aries smirking at them. "That should be obvious."

Madame Maxime eyed her pupil with curiosity. "Please explain, Aries," she requested.

"Well, the first reason that it should be obvious is the fact the poor kid looks like he's about to pass out," Aries pointed out. It was true. Drew looked ready to melt into Jello. "The second reason is that there was an advanced age line around the Goblet, and Potter is a Gryffindor. Getting around the age line, if even possible considering who it was drawn up by, requires serious planning and stealth. If my information is correct, Gryffindor is not the house known for either intelligence or cunning."

Snape bit back a laugh for the first time in a while. He liked Zana's son. Zana had been kind herself, even after Lily defriended him. She constantly held out an olive branch to him, which he always rejected.

Professor McGonagall looked as though she had sucked on a lemon. "Every house has their positive and negatives, Mr. Kalagarias," she responded stiffly.

Aries went on as if he had not heard the professor's comment. "Lastly, though I know Gryffindors are known for their bravery, I doubt anyone would choose to be at this much of a disadvantage. People have died in this tournament, or so my cousin so kindly reminds me every morning."

Ana bit back a smile. That sounded like Iris. "Didn't want you to enter?"

Aries nodded. "She said this tournament would enhance the 'already idiotic Gryffindor I've had the misfortune to inherit'."

Ana rolled her eyes at this though secretly agreed. The adults were already speculating on who could've put Drew's name in the Goblet. No one had been able to argue Aries's points. Drew gave Aries a small smile. He nodded back in acknowledgement, his face a cool mask. He didn't hate Drew, but he also didn't feel anything else for this kid who could've been his little brother in another life.

Barty Crouch cleared his throat. "Well, the first task will be to test your daring.

"Which means you'll learn what the task it the day of!" Ludo Bagman finished excitedly.

Barty Crouch seemed to fight the urge to roll his eyes before continuing. "The task will take place on November 24. You are dismissed."

* * *

><p>Aries sighed. It had been a long night. After celebrating with his classmates and filling in his cousin and best friends on what had gone on inside the room that night, he had started to get ready for bed. Once he was sure Jacques was asleep, Aries went to his two-way mirror and whispered Rue's name. Her face appeared before him.<p>

"Hello, Aries."

"Hello, Rue."

"Big night?"

"I'm the Beauxbaton champion."

"Of course you are. Who else would've been chosen?"

"The Potter boy was chosen too. Hogwarts has two champions."

"Bet Karkaroff was happy about that."

"Oh yeah. I thought he was going to start doing cartwheels."

"Wait, isn't the Potter boy a fourth year?"

"Someone put his name in."

"A Death Eater?"

"Probably."

"Keep your eyes open, Aries. I don't think Hogwarts is that safe right now."

"Are you going to come to the first task?"

"When is it?"

"November 24."

"I'll make sure Lena is there."

"Is that a yes or a no?"

"You'll have to wait to find out."

Aries smiled. "Goodnight, Rue."

"Goodnight, Aries."


	7. Chapter 7

A few days later, after the champions were chosen, Aries was sitting outside, trying to catch up on his reading. Seventh years were given most of Friday afternoon off for studying, and Aries was trying to get as much studying done as possible before he had to go to the wand weighing ceremony. Intensely focused on his Potions text, he barely noticed Jacques trying to get his attention until he felt something hit his head. Aries looked up, annoyed, to see his friend standing in front of him.

"**About time!**" Jacques exclaimed. "**I thought I would have to start a fire or something to get your attention!**"

Aries raised his eyebrows. "**Is there a reason for you annoying me?**"

"**Gabrielle and I are hanging out with some of the Gryffindors in their common room, and she sent me to see if you wanted to come. I figured you'd already have your nose in a book by now, but...**"

The Greek boy quirked a smile at that. Gabrielle never took no for an answer. "**I have to finish this,**" Aries insisted.

Jacques shrugged. "**You'll know where to find us**," he stated, heading back towards the castle. Aries watched until Jacques was completely out of view. He sighed. There was too much to do: schoolwork, the Tournament, and his other mission...

Aries closed his eyes for a moment, desperately needing a moment of rest. He hadn't slept last night or the night before or even the night before that. Truthfully, Aries hadn't slept well in four years, not since the day he'd woken up and found his mother...

* * *

><p><em>Four years ago...<em>

Aries woke up on Christmas morning, the sun high in the sky. He stretched and yawned, working out kinks. He loved Christmas, had loved it since he'd been rescued from... Them. His first Christmas out of the cupboard had been spent in Moscow. It had been a beautiful snowy Christmas. His mother had woken him up early, before the sun was even up in the sky. "_Merry Christmas Aries!_" she had shouted excitedly. He had just stared at her, not knowing what was so exciting about being up before the crack of dawn. His mother had frowned at his lack of excitement. "_It's Christmas, sleepyhead! It's time to wake up!_" she exclaimed, dragging him out of bed and into the living room of their small apartment. It was amazing. The tree they had put up weeks ago glittered, and there were tons of brightly wrapped presents under it, so many that Aries was sure he could get lost in them.

"_Mama,_" he had started tentatively, "_are these all for me?_"

She had smiled brightly at him. "_Of course they are, silly! Who else would they be for?_"

Aries's face broke out into a grin. He immediately divulged into the mound of presents he had. There were some from St. Nicholas, some from his mother, and some from his family. Though technically Christmas wasn't really celebrated in Greece due to the feast day of St. Basil of Cesarea celebrated on New Year's Day, his family had adopted the tradition after his mother's father had married an English women. It was the one English tradition his traditional Greek yia yia and papou had allowed into their family.

That day had been spent opening presents and enjoying the chocolate chips pancakes he and his mother had made. Well, mostly him... His mother wasn't very good in the kitchen. He had gotten various books and trinkets from St. Nicholas, a finely crafted sword from Henri, a Potions set from Rue, a new broomstick from his Aunt Chloe and Uncle Kostos, a framed picture of him and Iris playing on the beach from Athena, a braided sharktooth necklace from Iris, a set of wizarding chess with the family insignia engraved on it from Eli and his family, a fishing rod and supplies from Uncle Cyrus and Aunt Etna, a family portrait done in crayons from Lina and her brother Elias, a handmade quilt from all the great-aunts, the ultimate poker set from the great-uncles, a scrapbook from his yia yia, and a leather bracelet with Greek symbols carefully stamped on it from his papou. His favorite gift, however, came from his mother. It was a round and sliver oval on a thin chain. His initials were carved on it. This gift, however, had more to than met the eye. When opened, the oval served on a Pensieve.

"_This way,_" she explained, "_you'll always be able to remember the things that are worth remembering."_

And, though it had been seven years since that first Christmas, Aries still remembered it perfectly. His love for Christmas had never wavered. In fact, it had increased with the addition of Lena, who still believed in St. Nicholas.

So he woke up and crept quietly into the kitchen, making breakfast before either his mother and sister woke up. It had become a tradition in their family. He would wake up first, make breakfast, usually French toast or chocolate chip pancakes, and start the coffee his mother needed to function in the morning. Within twenty minutes, both breakfast and the coffee was ready. Strangely enough, his mother wasn't up yet. Usually the smell was enough to lure her out of bed. Aries shrugged it off and went to wake up Lena. He crept carefully into the little girl's room. She was sound asleep, her Christmas teddy bear tightly wrapped in her arms. He took a step forward and started to tickle her.

Lena's bright blue eyes shot open immediately. She laughed as Aries continued to tickle her. "_Stop it, Aries!" _she shouted through laughs. Finally, he stopped.

"_Merrcy Christmas, little one," _he announced.

Lena grinned. "_Merry Chrismas!_ _Pancakes ready?_"

Aries laughed at Lena's straightforwardness. "_Yes, miss,_" he answered, assuming his waiter voice. The little girl giggled.

"_Piggyback?"_ she asked with a pout.

Aries sighed dramatically, kneeling down much to Lena's delight. "_Your wish is my command._" Lena held on tightly as Aries zoomed through the hallway to the kitchen. He set her down at the table, cut her pancakes, and poured himself a cup of coffee. "_I'm going to go wake Mama up, okay?_" Lena nodded her head, her mouth covered with chocolate. Aries walked down the hallway to his mother's room. He knocked, but there was no answer. Assuming she was just asleep, he went in. Her bed was unmade, but she wasn't in it. The bathroom light, however, was on. Figuring his mother was just having one of her bad days again, Aries opened the bathroom door carefully.

What he saw would change his life forever. His mother, his beautiful mother, was hanging by the shower curtains. Her face was pale, her lips an unnatural color. It was just a dream, Aries convinced himself, a really bad dream. His mother wouldn't do this. Not to him and Lena. "_Mama?" _he asked. "_Mama?" _He shook her body. "_Mama!" _he shouted. This couldn't be happening. This couldn't be happening. His mother wouldn't kill herself. She loved him. She loved Lena.

Aries went into his mother's bedroom, his legs shaking and his breathing shallow. And there it was, on the nightstand, written in her handwriting. He picked it up, trying to make sense of this, this horrible thing his mother had done.

Aries,

Forgive me, please forgive me. I love you. Take care of her.

Mama

It felt like someone had punched him in the gut. Everything, everything before now, didn't matter anymore. Henri's words and lessons flew out of his head. How was he not to be broken without his mother? How was he supposed to hang on? And what about Lena? And school? So many questions ran through his mind, and he just wanted to scream.

Aries knew, however, that he couldn't do that. He needed to get Lena out of here. He needed to get someone in her to collect his mother's... Just his mother. He walked back into the kitchen, his steps shaky.

"_Lena, Mama and I need to take care of something. I'm going to take you to the Delacours for a little bit,_" he explained to his baby sister. God, how was he supposed to explain this to her?

Lena looked at him. "_What about my presents?_" she asked worriedly.

"_I'll bring them over in a little bit,_" he promised. It struck Aries how much his sister looked like their mother. He Flooed Lena over to the Delacours and asked them to watch her for a little bit. All the women, particularly Gabrielle, looked at him with worried eyes. He quickly reassured them before heading back home.

Everything after that was a blur. He Floo-called the Ministry, informed them of the situation, and waited for them to arrive. After giving a statement of what happened, he was given permission to leave. Aries grabbed the Portkey Henri had given him long ago and headed to the one place no one would look for him. He didn't know much at this point, but one thing was official. Aries Kalgarias hated Christmas with all of his heart.

* * *

><p>Aries would never forget that Christmas, the last one he had ever looked forward to. Now it was just another day, one that caused his pain. Yet another thing he used to love that he couldn't anymore.<p>

"Aries?" a voice asked gently. He looked up to see Lily Potter standing in front of you. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but it's time to go to the wand weighing."

He checked his watch and saw that she was right. Standing up, he grabbed his book and stuffed it into his bag. "Thank you, Professor Potter," Aries responded.

Lily smiled. Zana had definitely raised a polite son. The look in his eyes when she approached him, however, had troubled her. This boy had demons, whether he wanted to admit to them or not. "Mind if I walk there with you?" she asked nervously. Aries shook his head. They started to walk, silence in the air. Lily couldn't remember the last time she'd been this nervous. "So, how'd you end up at Beauxbaton? I remember Zana mentioning most her family ended up at Durmstrang."

Aries nodded. "Yes, my cousins all went to Durmstrang, but my mom and I moved to France when I was eight. By the time I got my letters, we were close to the Delacour family. The rest is history."

"Do you like it there?" she asked curiously, having never been to any of the other castles.

"It's a wonderful school," Aries answered. "Plus, I get to be closer to home."

There was another awkward silence. Lily didn't know what to think of Aries Kalgarias. He wasn't being cold towards her, and yet there was something he didn't want to tell her. "Did your mother ever get married?"

Aries shook his head. "No. She said she had loved one man once and that she'd never love anyone like that again." Lily looked down at her feet, knowing very well who that man was. "Now it's just me and my sister."

"Your sister," Lily started to say but was cut off by the fact that they were at the wand weighing. The Durmstrang girl, Anastasia, was already there as was Draco Malfoy. Her own son, however was nowhere to be seen. Ollivander, Mr. Crouch, Ludo Bagman, and Rita Skeeter were all assembled as well. Her husband and Sirius were there as well. Dumbledore was off to the side conversing with Madame Maxine and Igor Karkaroff. Aries immediately headed over to the Durmstrang girl, and they started conversing in what Lily could only guess was Russian.

She walked over to James and Sirius, who were both discussing the latest Quidditch match. James, noticed the pinched look to her face, nuzzled her neck. "Everything okay, Lilyflower?" he asked gently.

Lily nodded, her eyes straying over to Aries chatting animatedly in Russian. "Yeah, everything's fine."

* * *

><p>It was official. Drew Potter was late. There had been a mini-party held in his honor in the common room, and once he finally got a look at the clock he was ten minutes late. He spirited all the way there. Finally arriving at his destination, he took a deep breath, tried to fix his hair, and walked in.<p>

"Ah, Drew, old boy! We now have all the champions!" Bagman announced jovially.

Mr. Crouch, looking like he had sucked on a lemon, nodded. "Yes, now we can begin." In a lower tone, he added, "Ten minutes behind schedule."

Drew grinned sheepishly. "Sorry about that..." he mumbled.

Ollivander stepped forward. "Ms. Holender, your wand please?" Ana held out her wand for the English wandmaker. "Hmm, yes, interesting wood. Grey alder, if I'm correct? A Bolokhovskis creation, I believe. Excellent wandmaker. His wands are a bit more brittle than mine, but that's to be expected with the wood he uses... 11 inches, core of dragon heartstring. Not what I would've used with this wood, but..." He made a fountain of wine come out of it. "In excellent working condition." Ollivander handed the wand back to Ana.

"Mr. Malfoy?" Draco handed his wand to Ollivander. "Ah, this is one of mine," he stated a bit more enthusiastically than he did with Ana's wand. "10 inches precisely, hawthorn wood and with a unicorn hair core. Reasonably springy." He casted a Patronus. "In wonderful condition."

Giving the wand back to Draco, Ollivander looked to Aries. "A Kalgarias? Well, this ought to be interesting." Aries handed the wand to the man, not mentioning the fact that it wouldn't work for him. "Hmm... I remember trying to puzzle out your mother's wand as well. Very tricky. Olive wood, 11 ½ inches. Interesting engraves. Runes, I assume?"

Aries shook his head. "Greek proverb. From a thorn comes a rose, and from a rose comes a thorn."

Ollivander nodded. "Core of... Hmm, that's odd. Mr. Kalgarias, did you craft this wand yourself?"

Aries nodded. "It's a family tradition," he explained, seeing the looks he was getting.

"That's what I thought. Well, I think your core is phoniex tears and basilisk venom embedded in silver. Could you confirm this?"

Aries smirked. "Well, you got two-thirds of it. Blood's the thing you're missing."

"Blood?" Drew Potter spoke up, horrified. "In a wand?"

The older boy nodded. "It's the reason we all craft our wands. Everyone gives one drop of blood for every wand crafted."

Ollivander's eyes crafted. "Very clever indeed. It prevents anyone with said blood from using the wand, correct?" Aries nodded. "Well then, could you give us a demonstration, Mr. Kalgarias?" Aries took his wand back from Ollivander and levitated a table. "Very good, very good indeed."

"And lastly, Mr. Potter. Your wand please?" Drew handed Ollivander his wand. "One of mine as well. 10 inches, unicorn tail and blackthorn. Good for Charm work." He immobilized a fly on the ceiling. "In good working order."

Once Ollivander was done, Rita Skeeter stepped forward. "Pictures!" she announced. After half an hour of pictures, both group and individual shots, the four champions sat down for an interview. After two hours of questions, they were finally free to go. Aries headed straight to the carriage, ready to go to bed and end yet another day. Unfortunately, a message was waiting for him on his bed. Unfolding it carefully, he read it carefully.

2 in the morning. Berlin. Code: Snakes

Aries groaned. There really was never a break for him. Maybe if he got lucky, they'd actually finish by five in the morning this time. Setting an alarm that would only wake him, Aries laid down on his bed and fell asleep. Yet another day of hardwork...


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey! I've been so busy with school I haven't updated anything in a few days! Sorry bout that! Thanks for being so awesome! So now it's time for the first task in two parts! *cheers* Every champion has a different take on it, and there are also old friends introduced... Please review! Disclaimer:** **I don't own Harry Potter, but I would like to own a Harry. *winks***

It was November 24, and all of Hogwarts was buzzing. Two 7th year Gryffindors started taking and placing bets on which champion would win. Aries was amused to hear from Gabrielle that most of the female Gryffindors had money on him. The popular Slytherin choice was Draco Malfoy. The Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs were divided between the champions, but most of the male Gryffindors will distinctly loyal to Drew Potter.

Aries wasn't nervous, not really. This was part of his job to do this. He had to do this, had to win. He wanted his freedom, wanted to be free of... No, he couldn't think about it now. He drank some juice and took a bit of his breakfast, trying to ignore the nervous looks his cousin was giving him. Iris did worry too much, he thought wryly to himself. Aires supposed that he was just lucky Athena wasn't here. Or Lena for that matter. The little girl would be terrified of the dragon and him possibly getting hurt by it. Even at seven, Lena already had a rationality, some kind of common sense, that his mother and he had never possessed. Then again, they didn't have the same fears. Lena was scared of monsters, dragons and snakes, the kind that could physically hurt you. Aries, however, was older and wise enough to know that the real monsters never left a mark that you could see. At least, not most of the time.

"**Nervous?**" Gabrielle asked, her face showing worried lines.

Aries shrugged. "**Not really,**" he stated.

Jacques rolled his eyes. "**Of course, you aren't. Is the great Aries Kalgarias afraid of anything?**" Aries and Gabrielle just shared a look. Jacques hadn't joined their twosome until fourth year. He knew a little, but not much. He knew that Aries' mom had died in their third year and that he took care of his sister but Jacques didn't know about Aries' past. Gabrielle knew his secrets, knew he had been adopted, and knew about his real parents and the torture he'd suffered for years before his mother rescued him.

Luckily, Ana come by the table that moment. "They want us to meet in Dumbledore's office," she informed the Greek boy.

Aries raised an eyebrow but got up nonetheless. Gabrielle watched him walk out and then looked over to Iris. The girls didn't know each other that well, but they both knew Aries like the back of their hand. Gabrielle knew Iris was thinking the same thing she was. This task wasn't going to pleasant for them.

* * *

><p>All the champions arrived in Dumbledore's office. Aries immediately saw the Potters and the Malfoys. Ana's mother was there as well and gave him a soft smile. Aries smiled back, but his heart sank. He was really all alone here. Or so he thought, until he heard a familiar squeal.<p>

There was casual chatter amongst families. The Malfoys kept shooting the Potters dirty looks, which made Lily shift uncomfortably. Ana's family was talking in fast Russian, oblivious to any awkwardness around them. And then there was a little blur of pink running to Aries.

"_Aries!_" Lena shouted excitedly, running and flinging herself into her big brother's strong arms. Lena had missed Aries more than anything in the whole wide world. He was the person she loved the most. Usually Aries was home more when he went away, but he told her he had to do something im-port-ant in England for a friend because he promised. Lena didn't know what important meant, but she did know that Aries always kept his promises. "_I missed you!_"

Aries held onto his little sister tightly. "_I missed you too, princess,_" he reassured the little girl, gently brushing a stray curl out of her face. "_So who are you today?_" he asked, referring to her sparkly pink dress under her pink coat.

"_A princess!_" she shouted. "_Rue told me that I should be a princess cuz the commoners in England have never seen one before."_

Aries let out a laugh. Ana almost jumped in surprised. She didn't know he could still laugh like that. There was a noticeable difference in the Beauxbaton champion, like a weight had been lifted off his shoulders.

What Sirius noticed most, however, was how much this little girl looked like Zana. They had the same face: nose, ears, mouth... She had Zana's beautiful hair and smile. The only thing different was the eyes. Unlike Zana's blue-green ones or even Aries's light green, the little girl had gray eyes, almost like a stormy ocean.

The little girl looked around the room with curious eyes. Her eyes landed on Dumbledore and narrowed. "_That the bad man?" _she asked, a small frown on her lips. Aries only nodded. "_I don't like him," _she decided. Aries just rolled his eyes and put Lena down. She saw Ana and immediately raced towards her.

"Ana!" the little girl shouted excitedly, giving the girl a hug.

"Hey, Lena," Ana greeted back. "You're a very pretty princess today." Lena beamed.

With Lena chatting away with Ana, Aries noticed someone else. An older man with a rugged face stepped forward. "Hey kid," he said to Aries. All the adults in the room recognized him immediately. It was Henri Frederick, the former Head of Magical Law Enforcement in Germany. He was probably the most formidable opponent to Dark wizards in Europe of his time next to Alastor Moody. Right after the war, however, he'd retired. What most didn't know (and what Sirius did) was that this man was Zana's godfather.

"Henri," Aries nodded back. "How's the devil?"

Henri let out a barking laugh. "She's the same," he stated. "Said she was going to come today."

Aries snorted. "And leave hell? She might freeze to death."

The older man gave Aries a reprimanding look. "At least she has some common sense."

Aries glared at Henri. "I have common sense," he huffed. Ana raised an eyebrow.

"And where has it been hiding all these years?" she quipped. Aries just glared at her too.

"Don't worry. It's genetic," Henri reassured him with a smirk. Aries's face darkened momentarily. The older man decided to change the subject. "You ready?" Aries just looked at him as if to say, 'When am I not?'

Dumbledore cleared his throat. "Champions, please follow Mr. Crouch to the field. Guests, Aurors Potter and Black will escort you to your seats." James stepped forward. Sirius stayed back to talk to Henri. The little girl, Lena, was following the old man, skipping and humming to herself. "Hello, Sirius," the old man said, startling the Auror.

Sirius grinned. The old man still hasn't lost it. "Hey Henri," he greeted.

Henri fixed him with a hard look. "I assume you want to ask me about the kid?" Sirius could only nod. "Can't do that." When the young man was about to argue, Henri held up a hand. "The boy doesn't trust easily, period, and he especially doesn't trust you."

Sirius looked down at his feet, remembering his last fight with Aries' mother. There had been screaming and fighting and more 'I hate you's' flung around between them than he ever thought possible, and then Zana had taken off her engagement ring and flung it at him, stating, "I guess you've made your choice. Now I'm making mine."

"How did Zana die?" he asked in a low voice, hoping that her little girl wouldn't hear this question.

Henri stopped, shutting his eyes for a second and sighing. "You'll have to ask Aries," he said, opening them.

"But!" Sirius started to protest.

"He's the one who found her," Henri stated bluntly, walking ahead of Sirius, the little girl grabbing his hand. Sirius stopped to process the words. Found?

* * *

><p>Aries sat in the tent, his eyes wandering to the entrance. He knew the first task would be dragons. Madame Maxime had told him. Of course, Aries had already known, but he had appreciated the gesture. It appeared both Ana and Malfoy knew as well. Aries was slightly grateful that the Death Eater headmaster had told his friend. It narrowed down the list of things Aries had to do. Malfoy probably found out through his father's connections at the Ministry. Even Drew Potter hadn't looked that surprised. Aries wasn't sure who told them but knew it wasn't his parents. According to his mother, the Potters were respectable lapdogs, always doing what they were told and always following the rules. Not even willing to break them for family. Aries touched his arm self-consciously. Though his glamours were excellent, he still knew the scars were there.<p>

"And now for our final champion, Aries Kalgarias!" Ludo Bagman roared from the stage. Aries had picked the Hungarian Horntail, the deadliest of the four dragons and his personal favorite. Ana had gotten the Chinese Fireball and had gone third. Drew Potter went first with a Swedish Short-Snout. Malfoy went second with a Common Welsh Green. Aries grabbed his wand and stepped out into the arena, taking a deep breath. It was time...


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey! Sorry I haven't updated in a while! I got my wisdom teeth pulled (not fun), and I'm still not 100% yet. So now Aries faces his dragon, and there's an unexpected visitor there for him. Wondering who? Read and find out! Disclaimer: I don' own Harry Potter. I'm just a drugged up fifteen year old. **

The crowd watched with bated breath as Aries walked into the arena. His eyes darted around before finding Lena. The little girl looked nervous, but he caught her eye and winked. He then set out to do what he needed to do. Getting his wand out, Aries put a shield up against the dragon's fire. He then started to draw out a series of complex runes, the audience watching curiously. They were amazed by the shield that seemed to be keeping the fire at bay.

"Well, this is something we've never seen before," commented Bagman. "It seems that Mr. Kalgarias is setting up a series of runes. I'm not sure what their purpose will be, but it is certainly interesting."

Aries smirked. Of course Bagman didn't know what he was doing. He knew the former Quidditch player wasn't too bright, probably due to one too many Bludgers to the head. It was an unusual approach, he had to admit, but Aries had chosen this way for a certain reason. He wanted to establish himself as a smart champion, one who relied on brains. It would help for people to underestimate his strength.

It didn't take long for him to finish. He whispered a spell, dropped his shields, and waited. The dragon seemed to sense the magic and bowed its head to Aries, backing away so he could grab the golden egg.

The crowd was stunned. "Woah!" Bagman exclaimed, disbelief on his face. "Mr. Kalgarias has the quickest time and not a scratch on him! Amazing!" The crowd roared in excitement, the Beauxbaton students even more so. Aries spotted Lena on her feet, cheering for him excitedly. He took a quick bow and went back to the tent.

The nurse checked him over, clucking about the Tournament. Ana was still being patched up. She had used some illusion magic to create a misty duplicate of herself. It worked to distract the dragon at first, but when Ana went for the egg, she'd had to dodge a field of fire and scrapped up her arm. She looked at Aries with raised eyebrows. "There's not a scratch on you," she stated.

"I'm just that good," he stated cockily. Ana rolled her eyes. Once she was cleared to leave, the two waited to hear his score.

Dumbledore shot up a 10 as did Madame Maxine. Crouch and Bagman both gave him nines while Karkaroff gave him an eight.

Crouch cleared his throat. "In first place: Aries Kalgarias with forty seven points! In second place Draco Malfoy with forty five points! In third place Anastasia Holender with forty three points! In last place Andrew Potter with forty one points!"

Aries grinned. Step one was complete.

* * *

><p>Lena ran to Aries the minute she spotted him. Gabrielle, Jacques, and Iris weren't far behind. They had a couple of Gryffindors that Aries vaguely recognized with them. One of them was a Weasley, he knew. Aries was more focused on his sister. The little girl had tears running down her cheeks. He picked her up. She clung to him. "<em>What's wrong, princess?<em>" he asked.

"_That was really scary!_" the little girl cried. "_You faced a monster!"_

"_But it didn't hurt me,_" Aries pointed out. "_I'm fine._ _What did I tell you about monsters?_"

Lena sniffled. "_That you'd always win?"_ she replied.

Aries nodded. "_That's right,_" he agreed. "_So can I have a smile? You look more like a princess when you smile._" And Mama, he added mentally. He loved his sister dearly, but sometimes it hurt to look at her.

* * *

><p>Gabrielle watched Aries soothe Lena. Soon the little girl was giggling again. Aries put her down and walked towards them. Then, however, something else caught his attention. Or, more accurately, someone else. The girl, dressed in all black, was definitely catching everyone's attention. She was tiny, almost sickly, but she was stunning. Her ebony colored her was tied back and her ice blue eyes seemed to catch every detail. There were scars on her face, ones that looked like a knife had been run across it. It didn't detract from her beauty at all, only making her more interesting.<p>

Aries recognized her immediately. "Going to a funeral, Macnair?" he called out, a smirk gracing his lips.

The girl didn't seem offended, only grinning sardonically. "Well, I thought this would be yours, Kalgarias."

Aries rolled his eyes. "Is somebody watching your cave, Rue?" he quipped.

"I wasn't home," Rue replied. "I was in Moscow. Adele said hi."

"Adele?"

She gave Aries an I-can't-believe-you-just-asked-that look. "You know, the girl who helped us out in Moscow?"

Aries nodded his head. "Oh, the girl who could do that really cool trick with her tongue." Seeing Rue's look of disbelief. "Full name Adele Francia Hander. Has two brothers and a cat. Wants to be a Healer."

Rue rolled her eyes. "Show-off," she muttered. She pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Aries's eyes widened.

"Are those..." he asked, a bit of envy in his eyes.

Rue nodded. "Yep," she said, tossing them to him. Much to the dismay of Gabrielle and Iris, Aries eagerly opened the pack and took out a cigarette, lighting up. He took a long drag.

"I thought you quit," Iris asked furiously, glaring at her cousin.

Aries shrugged. "I will after this one," he promised, taking another drag.

"Liar," Rue mock-sung. Aries just gave her a look. "What? It's true. I know when you're lying, Aries." The statement was said mockingly, but there was a serious undertone neither of them wanted to touch.

There was a tense look between the two. Henri approached, talking amiably with Dumbledore and Sirius Black. He raised an eye at the two. "Problem?"

"Aries is a lying man-whore," Rue said casually.

Aries snorted. "Please, coming from you?"

Rue shrugged. "I like my toys."

"And how many of these toys live to tell the tale?"

"A few. None that could be traced back to me, of course."

"Sadist."

"Adrenaline junkie."

"Nymphomaniac."

"Barely functioning insomniac with an obvious nicotine withdrawal."

Aries was just about to fire off a retort when Henri said, "Enough." To the surprise of most, Aries and Rue shut up. "You two have been fighting over nothing for since the day you met eleven years ago. Don't you think it's time for a rest?" The looks on both of his wards' faces said, 'Hell no!'

Dumbledore took the opportunity to study the strange girl. She seemed very familiar, like she was the daughter of a former student. She had the look of many English purebloods, but there was something different about her. Maybe a bastard spawn? "Miss, I do not believe we've met. I'm..."

"Albus Dumbledore. Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, a part of the Chairmanship of the International Confederation of Wizards, awarded of Merlin First Class for the defeat of Grindelwald, and an excellent ten-pin bowler."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "Most people forget the last one," he commented.

Rue smiled, causing Aries to mock-shiver. "I think it's the most impressive."

"And you are?" Sirius Black asked, narrowing his eyes at her. He didn't trust the looks of this girl. She seemed dark.

Rue' eyes were dark. "Druella Macnair." Seeing dropped jaws, she turned to Aries. "It wasn't in Moscow, but I'll keep looking." Though Aries's face showed no hint of change at this news, she could sense the worry radiating under the surface. "We'll find it. Promise."

Aries smiled at Rue, trying to be cheerful. It didn't really work. In a rare show of affection, she hugged him. "I haven't given you permission to die yet, Kalgarias," she whispered firmly, pulling back.

Aries smirked, but his eyes were smiling. "Duly noted," he replied. Rue rolled her eyes but said nothing. "Lena!" she shouted. The little girl, who was chattering away happily with Luna Lovegood of all people, rushed to her. "Give me a hug!" Lena attacked her. "Now, what did I tell you?"

"Watch 'ver my idiot bother cuz he can't take car of 'imself," Lena stated proudly.

Rue kissed her forehead softly. "Good girl," she praised. "Tonight at midnight," she told Aries.

The Greek boy groaned. "Seriously?"

"The boss is tyrant," she agreed. "Bye Aries."

"Bye Rue."

* * *

><p>Gabrielle walked the mysterious girl walk away. She knew her face. On Aries's birthday, she would appear briefly at whatever party they threw him with a gift. She never stayed long, only long enough to hug Lena and whisper something into Aries's ear that made him smirk. Aries never talked about her, and Gabrielle never brought her up.<p>

"Who was that?" one of the Weasleys, Ron, asked.

"A friend," Aries responded casually. Friend wasn't a big enough label for Rue, but it seemed adequate for now.

The bushy-hair girl raised an eyebrow. "She doesn't seem like it," she stated.

Aries shrugged, pulling out another cigarette. "It's a mutually miserable friendship." Before he could light it, however, Iris swiped it. "Hey!"

"Smoking can kill you," Iris said.

"So can the Tournament, but I'm still doing that," Aries retorted, grabbing his cigarette back. At that moment, Lena came skipping back. Aries quickly got rid of his cigarette. He never, ever wanted his sister to see him smoke.

"_Madame Maxime said I could stay the weekend!_" she proclaimed excitedly.

Aries smiled. "_Good. Hogwarts needs a princess," _he stated. "_Does the princess want a ride?"_ Lena nodded furiously. Aries knelt down. "_Hop on!_"

Unbeknownst to Aries, the Potters were a little ways behind him. They were watching him intently. James was curious about the Macnair girl and how he would even know the Macnairs. Lily, however, was watching him with Lena and wondering if Harry would've been like that with Rose. Aries reminded her of Harry in an odd way. She didn't know that Sirius was thinking that exact same thing.

* * *

><p>Sirius rummaged through the files of the Department of International Magical Cooperation's Office of Law. A girl he'd briefly had a fling with let him in. He wanted to see is Aries had been born or found by Zana in Britain. If so, then he could track the kid's birth parents. Even if Aries had been officially adopted in Greece as was Zana's right as a Greek citizen, there would still be certain paperwork Zana would have to file for guardianship through England since Aries had been found there. After that, it would be easy for her to adopt the kid in her home country. Sirius had a hunch, but he didn't want to mention it to James and Lily until he was certain.<p>

Luckily, Aries had been found in Britain. His birth parents weren't listed on the paperwork, but Sirius hadn't suspected they would be. Zana had always been good at covering her tracks. It was how she'd been able to disappear and stay that way for so many years.

There was one tiny discrepancy on the certificate. The adoption date was August 4, a few days after Harry's disappearance. Sirius's hunch grew bigger. Aries Kalgarias might be Harry Potter. Now, how to prove it?


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey! I know I haven't updated! Super sorry! Life's been hectic and is about to get even more so with finals coming up, so bear with me! In this chapter, you'll get a bit of Aries/Gabrielle time as well as some Potter interaction. **

Aries watched as Lena explored Hogwarts' grounds. Everything seemed fascinating to the little girl, and she was fluttering around like a butterfly, her curls flying around in the wind. There was a lot of their mama in her, a lot of the fearless spirit that made Zana Kalgarias so alluring. Lena, however, seemed to have a steadying quality that he and his mother never had a hope of possessing. Aries always prayed for Lena. He prayed to the God he wasn't sure cared that she stayed happy and healthy and whole. After all, he knew more than anyone that it was hard to be whole after being broken.

Gabrielle nudged Aries with her foot. He looked up, slightly surprised. The Gryffindors they had taken to hanging out with were talking animatedly with Jacques and some of their other friends. The bushy haired girl, Hermione, seemed particularly interested in Beauxbaton's classes. Gabby looked over to where Lena was playing and smiled. "**Looks like Lena's having fun,**" she murmured.

Aries smiled faintly. "**Hey, I'll miss her when she goes home**," he confessed softly. A loud laugh came over from Lena. Aries loved hearing Lena laugh. The little girl had the same laugh their mother did, loud and musical.

Gabrielle frowned at Aries's sudden frown. She knew he must be thinking about his mother. Aries always had the same look when he was thinking of his mother, a look so sad and painful she just wanted to wipe it away. But she couldn't, and she doubted anyone would ever be able to. Aries would always carry this sadness inside of him, had ever since that sad Christmas.

* * *

><p><em> It was a snowy Christmas morning, and the Delacour family was gathered around their lavishly decorated Christmas tree. Gabrielle was still in her nightgown, blonde hair framing her face and making her look like an angel. Fleur was dressed casually in a cozy sweater and jeans. The family chatted and traded classes, reveling in the joy of Christmas. Gabrielle and Fleur were both home from Beauxbatons, and their parents were overjoyed to have their girls back. <em>

_ The family was startled by a flash of green coming from the fireplace. The extended Delacour family didn't usually come until New Year's Eve, and Aries and his family didn't usually come over until later in the afternoon. A little blur gravitated immediately towards Gabrielle._

_ "_**Merry Christmas!"** _Lena shouted cheerfully, hugging the blonde girl tightly. Gabrielle smiled. _

_ "_**Merry Christmas to you too, Lena!**" _Gabrielle said back_. "**Where's Aries?**"

"**I'm right here,**" _Aries said quietly as he stepped out of the fireplace._ _Gabrielle was worried immediately. Aries's vivid green eyes were darting around in their sockets. She could tell he just gotten up by the curls sticking up on his head more wildly than usual. He was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans while Lena was still in her pink and red candy cane footie-pajamas._

_ Gabrielle wanted to say something, anything, even something as trivial as Merry Christmas. There was something wild about him, something she couldn't understand. Shooting a look to her family, she dragged Aries out into the hallway. _

_ "_**Aries, what's wrong?**" _Gabrielle asked, her eyes not leaving Aries's face._

_ "_**Nothing**," _Aries insisted. _"**Can you watch Lena for a couple hours?**"

_Gabrielle stood her ground. "_**Something's wrong! I can tell. What's going on?**"

"**Gabrielle, please?**" _Aries pleaded, a hint of desperation in his voice. Gabrielle couldn't help but soften. Aries was her best friend, had been since he moved next door when they were eight. She would do anything for him._

_ "_**Okay,**" _she agreed softly. "_**Just promise me you'll tell me what's going on later."**

_Aries nodded in agreement, but she had a feeling that he couldn't really hear what she was saying. They went back into the living room. Her family looked at them curiously while Lena ran to Aries, asking him something in fast-paced jumbled Greek. Aries said something soothing back before kissing Lena's forehead. "_**Thanks**," _he murmured to Gabrielle before stepping back into the Floo._

**"Gabby, what's going on?**" _Fleur asked worriedly after their mother had taken Lena into the kitchen for hot chocolate. The Kalgariases were essentially family, and Fleur had long considered Aries her little brother. She knew there had been something wrong with Aries the moment he stepped through the Floo. Just the fact that he used the Floo said a lot. Both Aries and Zana preferred Muggle transportation, and they were some of the few people who ever actually used the front door. Of course, she had let her younger sister handle it because Gabby could deal with people better than she could._

"**I don't know**," _Gabrielle confessed_. "**Something's wrong, but he wouldn't tell me what. He just wanted us to watch Lena for a couple of hours**." _The two sisters talked about possible issues, and it wasn't until her mother and Lena came back into the living from the kitchen and her father from the den that Gabrielle realized something. Zana had never shown up that morning._

* * *

><p>Gabrielle remembered that day well. Aries hadn't come back a few hours later, and her worrying had increased when a couple of Aurors came by the Delacour home.<p>

_ There was a knock on the door, and Mrs. Delacour went to answer it while Fleur and Gabrielle kept Lena occupied. "_**May I help you?**" _she asked politely as she opened the door, slightly startled at the appearance of three Aurors. Gabrielle, who was watching Fleur and Lena play patty-cake, craned her head to listen._

"**Madam, is there any way you could contact Mr. Kalgarias? We wanted to tell him our investigation has been completed, and that he can pick up his mother's body at the Ministry.**"

"**Her body?**" _Mrs. Delacour repeated, shock written all over his face. _"**Sir, please explain yourself!**" _Gabrielle felt herself going into shock. Zana, Aries's mother, the cheerful and beautiful woman who had always made time for her and Fleur, who always had music on and interesting Muggle trinkets filling her house, was dead?_

_ She listened to the Auror explain to her mother how Zana had hung herself in the shower, how she had probably died slowly because her neck hadn't snapped, how Aries had found her hanging with purple lips. Gabrielle felt her heart break. No wonder Aries had looked so wild, so unfamiliar to her. She only hoped he didn't do anything stupid. _

It had gotten late, and by then all the Delacours were worrying. It wasn't usual for Aries to cause worry. While Zana had been wild and impulsive, Aries had always been more sensible and thoughtful. Friends of the Kalgariases often joked that he was the parent and she was the child. Gabrielle knew that, while the statement held some truth, Zana did a lot more than people gave her credit for. She had adopted Aries from people who had never loved him, gave him hope and laughter and dreams. Now the only thing Aries had left of her was their house and Lena.

_There had been a knock on the door. It was late, probably around three in the morning. After a lot of coaxing, Gabrielle had managed to get Lena to go to sleep, promising that Aries would be there when she woke up. None of the Delacours could go to sleep, not when they didn't know where Aries was._

_The worried family was startled when there was a knock on the door. Hoping it was Aries, Gabrielle rushed to answer it. It wasn't Aries. Instead, the dark-haired girl she had seen fleetingly at all of the Kalgarias's parties since they moved here quirked on eyebrow. "_**May I come in**_?" she asked in a monotone voice. _

_Gabrielle could only nod, crept out yet enthralled by the girl. She was very beautiful despite the scars covering her face and was dressed head to toe in black, the only hint of color on her being the slight red tint to her cheeks. Half of her messy dark curls were pinned back, giving her a wild look. It was hard to believe this girl and Aries could ever be friends. Whenever Gabrielle had mentioned her, Aries had simply smiled and changed the subject._

_The strange girl walked in, her icy blue eyes taking everything in. "_**Where's Lena?**_" she asked bluntly._

"**Sleeping**_," Gabrielle answered. "_**How's Aries?**_"_

_The girl's mouth tilted downward, the first sign of emotion from her. "_**He's been better**_," she stated. _"**I sorted him out as best as I could. Henri can do the rest.**_"_

_Gabrielle could only nod. She motioned for the strange girl to follow her in. Fleur and her parents looked at their guest and back to Gabrielle questioningly. "_**This is Aries's friend**_..." she started to introduce before realizing she'd never learned the girl's name._

"**Druella Macnair,**" _the girl stated. "_**Aries is safe. I've sent him off to Henri's. He wanted me to come and get Lena.**"

_Mrs. Delacour could only nod before moving towards the stairs. An unnecessary action, evidently, as Lena had woken up when the door had been knocked on and had crept downstairs after hearing the familiar voice._ "**Rue!**" _Lena shouted excitedly, capitulating into the frail girl. Rue hugged Lena tightly._

"**Hello, little princess**," she said with a smile.

_Lena pulled away. "_**Where's Aries**_**?**__" she questioned._

_Rue expertly hid a frown. "_**He's at Henri's**_**,**__" she spoke soothingly. "_**I'm going to take you there, okay?"**

_This didn't satisfy Lena. _"**Where's Mama?**" _she pressed on. Gabrielle felt her heart clench. How could anyone ever answer Lena's question without breaking the little girl's heart?_

_Rue kneeled down to meet Lena's gaze._ "**Do you remember those stories your brother told you about heaven?**"

_Lena nodded._ "**That's where the angels live,**" _she stated proudly_.

_Rue smiled_. "**Exactly. Your mama lives there now.**"

_The little girl frowned._ "**But she lives with us!**" _she shouted in protest._ "**You're wrong!**" _After a moment, Lena asked,_ "**Does Aries know where Mama is?**"

_Rue sighed, knowing the little girl wouldn't understand until her brother explained it to her._ "**Yes, he does. Get your coat on, and we'll go there.**"

_Fleur, the only person not in total shock, got up and retrieved Lena's pink coat from the closet. Rue accepted it with a smile and helped the little girl into it._

"**You're welcome to use our Floo**," _Mr. Delacour offered_. "**I could quickly connect it to your destination.**"

"**Thank you for the offer, Monsieur Delacour. I would take you up on if Henri had a fireplace,**" _Rue replied with a slight mocking laugh. Seeing the surprised looks of the Delacour family, she elaborated._ "**Henri's a bit paranoid. Thinks too many bad things can happen with Floos.**"

_Rue made a move towards the door, Lena already racing ahead, when Gabrielle pulled her aside._ "**Will Aries be okay?**" _she pleaded, worry evident in her eyes._

_Rue softened, only a little bit._ "**No, he won't be,**" _she answered honestly_. "**I don't think he'll ever be able to be okay again.**" _With that, Rue took Lena's hand and walked outside, pulling out a keychain. Within seconds, the two were gone, leaving Gabrielle with more worries than ever._

It was the first and last conversation Gabrielle had had with the strange ethereal girl. Aries had come back home after a few days, looking infinitely older and endlessly sad. And while the sadness gradually faded until it was almost unnoticeable, the incredibly worn-out look never left Aries. He surprised all of his friends and family by choosing to stay in France, becoming a ward of Henri, his mother's godfather. Lena was given the same status, but everyone knew it was Aries raising Lena. The boy she had first met, the dreamer with bright eyes, never came back that Christmas Day.

Still, she thought to herself, you could see him in moments like this. Aries was debating the merits of Firebolts vs. Nimbus 2000s with the red-haired boy and Jacques. There was a certain light to Aries's eyes, and Gabrielle felt her heart pump wildly as he smiled crookedly at her. She had always had a tiny crush on Aries, ever since he moved next door, and it had just grown as he became her best friend. And maybe, just maybe, this year could be good for Aries. Or even good for them.

* * *

><p>Lily Potter was heading back to her office from the Potions dungeon when she overheard students entering the castle. She recognized the voices of Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, two 7th year Gryffindors. A slight Irish accent distinguished the voice of Seamus Finnigan, and a deeper voice belonged to Dean Thomas. The other three voices, however, were unfamiliar. One was distinctively feminine and undoubtedly alluring to the opposite sex. The other two were masculine, one energetic and frenzied and the other steadying and clear with a slight Greek accent. She felt her heart race. Zana's son.<p>

Lily found Aries Kalgarias interesting for many reasons. The first and foremost reason being how exactly he came to be a Kalgarias. Lily would've known if Zana had a child no matter how badly they'd been fighting. The young man certainly had the dashing Kalgarias looks, but he also had something else, something startling familiar. Sirius had told her and James about the paperwork he'd found in the Office of Law that were filed just four days after Harry's disappearance. This boy could be her son. Lily didn't get her hopes up, however. There was a chance he wasn't, and there was also a chance that, even if Aries was her son, he would want nothing to do with them. It seemed like he already had a pretty solid life: friends, a large family, and a chance at eternal glory. What else could they offer him?

"Really?" Ron asked in astonishment. "Birds like that?"

Aries shrugged. "Sure," he answered nonchalantly. "It makes you look dangerous." He mentally laughed at the English boys' shock. Didn't they have tattoo parlors around here?

"Doesn't it hurt?" Seamus questioned, his eyes bugging out.

"Only for a little bit," the Greek boy answered.

"How many tattoos do you have now, Aries?" Jacques asked with a raised eyebrow. He knew his friend's fondness for getting inked.

"Four," he replied casually. The Gryffindors looked even more shocked, especially Hermione.

"You've let someone draw on you with a needle four times?" Ron repeated. "Are you insane?"

"Possibly," Aries agreed.

Gabrielle smiled. "I like guys with tattoos," she stated with a coy smile.

"Funny, I like pretty blonde girls who like my tattoos," Aries replied charmingly, a crooked grin on his face.

"Mr. Kalgarias, are you flirting with me?" Gabrielle probed playfully.

"It's very possible, my dear," Aries said cheerfully. "My poor weak sex is always doomed to flirt with beautiful woman. It's a problem, to be sure."

Lily was so engrossed in the conversation that she didn't notice the little girl about to run into her. Lena had run off in front of her brother, eager to explore more of the castle. Unfortunately, it resulted in her ramming into Lily Potter, causing the woman's papers to fly everywhere. Lena fell down, letting out a small cry. Aries, picking up on his sister's cry in the quick way only well attuned parents can, went to her immediately. He helped her up and kissed the bumped knee she pointed too. After saying something cheerful in Greek that caused the little girl to giggle, Aries turned to her. "Sorry about Lena," he apologized. "I should've been watching where she was going."

"It's fine," Lily responded, her eyes never leaving the little girl. She had Zana's wavy brown-hair, her tan skin, her elegant features. The only difference was the eyes. While Zana had had sparkling blue-green eyes, Lena's were distinctly gray, a beautiful color that Lily had always associated with the Black family.

The little girl, however, seemed to recognize her as well. She asked her brother something in fast-paced Greek. Aries's eyes flinted over to her momentarily before answering the question. "She recognizes you from one of our mother's photo albums. She wanted to know if you'd know her dad," he explained after seeing her curious look.

"Would I?" asked Lily before she could even stop herself. The girl, despite being Zana's carbon copy, had Sirius's grey eyes.

Aries's eyes grew darker. "I highly doubt it seeing as I never met the bloke myself. I doubt my mother even knew who he was."

Lily was now filling to the brim with questions, but she contained them. "She looks just like your mother," she commented.

Aries's eyes softened a bit at looking at his sister. "Yeah, she does," he agreed.

"Aries, are you coming?" Gabrielle shouted, the group already heading toward the Gryffindor Common room for some kind of party. They had managed to convince Aries to go only because Iris would be there and Lena desperately wanted to play with one of her favorite cousins.

"Yeah!" he shouted back, picking up his sister. "If you'll excuse me, Professor Potter..."

"Go on," she said with a laugh. "And please call me Lily outside of class." Aries nodded, running as fast as he could with Lena clinging to his neck towards his friends.

Lily sighed. There really was no solving a Kalgarias.


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey! First update of AWF of the new year! *cheers all around* It's time for the Yule Ball and a glimpse into Aries's secret life. There might even be a little more Gabrielle/Aries if you're nice and review! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I do, however, know a girl who would love to date Snape. Weird, huh?**

Time flew by as everyone started to plan for the Yule ball. While most of the students from all three schools were excited for said dance, Aries couldn't care less. Madame Maxime had informed him that, as a champion, he was required to open the Ball with a date and dance the first dance. He had agreed but managed to get permission to go home after the ball. There was no way he was going to spend Christmas away from Lena. They would probably stay at Rue's house. Aries hated spending Christmas at home. It would never be the same, and he didn't want to pretend it would be. He still tried to act enthusiastic around Christmas for Lena's sake, but the truth was his heart had been hardened to the holiday.

Still, Madame Maxime had told him he needed a partner for the ball, and so he wasted no time asking Gabrielle, who was not only very attractive but also wasn't one of those girls who would drool over him. (There were other reasons, better ones, but Aries chose to stick to the practical because they still made sense to him.) To nobody's surprise, she said yes.

Jacques, on the other hand, had a wave of bad luck and asked out every girl who already had a date. Eventually, Aries had tired of seeing his friend get rejected repeatedly and asked Iris, who had not accepted any of the many offers she had gotten, to be Jacque's date. His cousin happily agreed, relieved that she would not have to go with a date she'd have to pretend to be interested in. Iris had been seeing one of the fishermen on one of their papou's many boats over the summer, and apparently the fling had carried over into the school year. The Kalgarias family was an old and respectable family in Greece. They were very prominent in business and trade, particularly fishing. There were few boats in the port that did not belong to their papou.

It was hard not to get excited about the ball, however, with the whole student body buzzing. Decorations were put on display, dress robes ordered, and dates procured. The latest gossip revolved around those topics as well as who would be the band for the ball. Aries, who had always loved music, couldn't help but be interested in this conversation.

Of course, he hadn't expected to discover the choice while eating breakfast two days before the ball. He was sitting with Jacques, Gabrielle, and his cousin, half-listening to the two girls' excited speculations on dates and such. He was snapped at of this daze when he heard a familiar exclamation of, "Maestro!"

Aries groaned as he turned around to see Jacquette Bay giving him a very familiar sly smile. She hadn't changed much: same short, sleek curls that always seemed to be in her eyes, same dark brown almost black eyes lined heavily with eyeliner, same baggy yet edgy clothing only she could ever pull off. Just by looking at Jac, you could never guess she had been trained in classic piano. Then again, you could never tell that by looking at him either. "Geez, are there so few people to annoy in New York that you have to come all the way to Scotland to bug little ole me?"

Gabrielle watched the girl smile angelically. "Well," Jac played along, "I tried to get along with the mere peasants, I really did, but I needed more of a challenge."

Aries raised an eyebrow. "And now the real reason you're here, Jac, please?"

Jac sighed dramatically. "You're no fun anymore, Maestro. I'm here to make sure my band's set for their next gig."

"I thought you guys lost your drummer."

"Well..."

Aries held up his hands. "Wait, don't tell me. You were at a bar, and there was this guy. You had a couple of drinks and just happened to find out that he was an amazing drummer!"

His friends looked at him strangely. "How did you know that?" Jacques asked warily.

Aries rolled his eyes. "Because it's the reason her band can't keep a drummer. She meets them in bars, they join the band, she hooks up with them, and then they break her heart, thus signaling their ejection from the band."

Jac huffed but said nothing. For a moment, she looked nervous, but then she spoke again. "And I wanted to deliver this to you in person." She pulled out a thin, wide white envelope. Aries's eyes narrowed as he saw the insignia on the cover.

"I'm not applying," he protested.

Jac narrowed her eyes. "Just open the envelope, you idiot." Aries scowled but took it from her nonetheless. He opened it carefully and took out the papers, scanning them carefully. His eyes bugged out a little bit.

"This is an acceptance letter."

"Yep."

"I didn't even apply."

"Uh-huh."

"What did you do?"

Jac feigned innocence. "Why, my dear Maestro, I have no clue what you could mean by that. But, while you're throwing around accusations, check who the dean of admissions is at Julliard is now."

Aries checked the name on the letter. Shock was evident on his face. "Vans is the dean of admissions there now?"

Jac nodded. "He's been there a year."

"And how come I didn't know about this?" Aries asked. Jac only gave him a knowing look. They both knew why Aries hadn't known.

Zana Kalgarias was, amongst many things, an excellent pianist. Music, particularly the piano, was her first love. Vans, more famously known as Colt Vans, a prominent concert pianist from Norway, had been a family friend and her teacher for many years. It had always been one his mother's pet peeves that there was no piano at Hogwarts for her to practice.

Whenever Aries remembered his mother, he always heard music. There was always singing and humming and the radio and the soothing sounds of the piano in his memories of his mother. "Silence is too loud," she had once replied when asked why the radio was always on. When he was first adopted, she offered to teach him the piano. Aries, eager to bond with his mother, accepted. It soon became the thing he loved more than anything. He could spend hours at the piano, creating his own melodies. His mother soon took him to Vans, who arranged performances for Aries. He was considered a prodigy, playing at Carnegie Hall when he was nine years old.

But, after his mother died, Aries lost interest in the piano. More accurately, he resented it. It had been his and his mother's bond, the piano, and the melodies didn't sound right when he played them without her. He slowly withdrew from the music community, practically nonexistent, to the point when no one remembered him. Except for Vans and Jac.

Jac had been one of his mother's students. Though she got a generous allowance from Papou, his mother still took on some piano students for extra income. Jac started with Zana when Aries was six and she was twelve. Jac had had many teachers, but none were satisfactory. Zana was the last teacher she would ever need. After taking lessons for six years, Jac went off to Julliard. She wrote occasionally and always visited at Christmas.

Aries snapped back out of his memories when Jac spoke again. "You don't have to go, Aries. You just have to consider it. I know you've been in some kind of guilt-ridden self-exile from music I can't even begin to explain, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Zana would kill me if I didn't make sure you at least considered it."

Aries said nothing, his eyes set intensely on Jac. She sighed. "Just think about it, okay?" With that, Jac went to meet with the Headmaster, leaving Aries to his thoughts and his friends with a lot of questions.

* * *

><p>Finally, to everyone's relief, it was the day of the Yule ball. There was primping and panicking, girls running around looking for a shoe and boys freaking out about their hair. Aries Kalgarias, on the other hand, was calmly getting dressed in his room.<p>

His Yia-Yia had sent him new dress robes in anticipation for the ball, and so he slipped those ones. They were made of nice fabric in a green color that greatly accentuated his eyes. There was very detailed silver threading, and the robes fit well and did not have too much extra fabric, something that often annoyed him about robes. His wonderful Yia-Yia had also sewn a hidden pocket inside the robe for his wand and possibly a small knife.

Aries didn't bother to do much to his hair because the curls never did what he wanted anyway. He did make sure the tattoo on his wrist was covered. He didn't need the professors seeing it and freaking out. After updating his glamor charms, Aries was ready to go.

Jacques took a little bit longer, but he eventually emerged in dark blue dress robes that suited his dark hair and light complexion. The two friends went to gather their dates. Gabrielle looked every bit the Veela she was in a stunning one-shouldered flowing silver gauzy gown with a slit up on leg. In three-inch silver hairs and her silvery blonde hair up in an elegant chignon held with a beautiful crystal flower, she looked like an angel.

"Beautiful," Aries whispered in Gabrielle's ears, causing her to blush lightly.

Jacques's jaw dropped, and Aries turned around as he saw his cousin walking towards them. Iris did look very pretty in a purple halter dress that clung to her body. Her blue-green eyes sparkled, and her black-brown hair was half-down, half-up, the waves falling just to her chest.

"Pull a move on my cousin, and I'll disembowel you," Aries threatened his drooling friend. Jacques stopped drooling and nodded fearfully.

"Looking nice, o' cousin of mine," Aries said as Iris approached.

She smiled. "You too, Aries. Yia Yia's selection, I take?" Aries nodded.

And so the four of them headed to the Great Hall. It truly did look wonderful. The Christmas trees sparkled, and everything glittered. The normal ugly tables were replaced by small circular ones elegantly set. Jacques whistled appreciatively.

"The Great Hall sure does clean up nice," he stated. Iris and Gabrielle broke out into a fit of giggles. Aries resisted a chuckle. "What? What did I say."

"You're such a dork, Jacques, but we love you anyway," she stated, ruffling his hair.

Jacques gave an indignant squeal. "Hey, easy on the hair!" This just caused more laughter from the girls.

"All champions and their dates, please follow me out of the hall," Professor McGonagall announced. Aries offered his arm to Gabrielle, which she took with a smile, and they left Iris and Jacques in the Hall.

The other champions and their dates were lining up. Draco Malfoy looked the picture of pureblood snobbery in his elaborate dress robes emblazed with the Malfoy crest. His date, a girl with an unfortunate pug face, wore a sparkly green dress that would've been better in Vegas than a ball. Ana flashed him a quick small as he and Gabrielle lined up. She looked lovely in a sleeveless aqua blue dress that accentuated her figure. Aries didn't know her date but made a mental note to verbally threaten him should he hurt Ana at a later date. Drew Potter was dressed in Potter family dress robes, and it took a lot of mental energy for Aries not to snarl at him. His date was Ginny Weasley, who Aries was familiar with due to Gabrielle frequently dragging him to the Gryffindor common room. She looked nice in a pink gown with thin straps and ruffles on the skirt. Her vivid red hair was up in a chignon similar to Gabrielle's.

Before Aries knew it, the dancing began. He danced with Gabrielle effortlessly, drawing on the lessons Henri insisted he and Rue take. "First you learn how to dance," he had said, "and then I'll teach you two how to duel." Aries smiled thinking of his crazy guardian.

* * *

><p>Three dances later, Aries was sitting down at a table, sipping punch and listening to Gabrielle and Iris gossip about dresses. He was just enjoying the music. Jac's band was pretty good, he hated to admit. The keyboardist could be better, but still. Aries was just about to ask Gabrielle to dance again when he saw something out of the corner of his eye.<p>

"Fuck," he swore under his breath. Trouble was here, in the form of Druella Macnair and their team.


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey! Ready for more Yule ball? I am! *cheers* Time to meet Aries's team and have Lily and Sirius find out a little bit about Zana. Also, a little bonding between Aries and Rue. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am a mere Biology student listening to survival of the fittest. Wonder if that's why Dumbledore put Harry with the Dursleys. Food for thought...**

Druella Macnair strolled forward in her red ball gown, smirking slightly at the stares she knew she was getting. Rue wasn't the type of girl to be vain, but she knew she was beautiful. Unlike most girls, she didn't consider it a huge accomplishment. In fact, to her it was a curse, a curse that had doomed her to spend the first six years of her life living with a perverted uncle. He thought she was pretty too.

Aries smiled wryly. "You've always liked red dresses," he commented, his eyes glittering in mischief.

Rue glared at him. "You burned my last one!" she accused, causing incredulous looks and heads turning to look at Aries.

"You filled the keyboards of my piano with glue!" he shot back. "That's a sin!"

"Only because you threw me in the lake when I was fully clothed!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Kids," a silky smooth voice intoned, "If you keep fighting, you won't get any desert." Forward stepped a figure. In contrast to Aries's rugged Mediterranean looks, this boy was distinctively English with a strong jawline and traditional English features. He had forgone dress robes in favor of an imbecilely tailored grey suit that flattered his light brown hair and blue eyes.

Aries scowled. "Fuck off, Marsaille," he said.

Marsaille raised an eyebrow. "So eloquent, Kalgarias. I see that the English atmosphere is doing you so much good."

"Now, Mar, don't test him. It is Christmas after all," another voice said. A girl stepped forward, a kind smile prevalent on her flawless face. While not as beautiful as Rue, this girl was pretty in a soft gentle way. Her round face was framed by light brown curls, and she was wearing a flowing pink dress.

Aries smiled at the new arrival. "Hey, Emma," he greeted, the scowl starting to disappear from his face.

"Hi Aries," she greeted cheerfully. "Happy Christmas."

Aries just rolled his eyes, and a snort came from behind him. Another boy emerged, a smirk on his face. "Aries doesn't do Christmas, remember Em? He's the Grinch."

Rue glared at the Japanese boy in silver dress robes. Isamu was lucky he was an only child, or she would've killed him years ago. "Leave him alone, Mu. We're not all five year-olds trapped in a teenager's body."

Those around them listened to the snipping with interest. It was hard not to be charmed by the Beauxbaton champion, and yet few knew anything about him. It was obvious he was Greek, and it was rumored that his mother had been friends with the Potters. Drew Potter had told his fellow Gryffindors about the Weighing of the Wands, causing a lot of speculation about how exactly Aries Kalgarias made his wand. The more people learned about the mysterious Greek boy, the less they actually seemed to know.

Even the people that knew him well, his friends and cousin, were watching the group interact. Though Gabrielle was slightly familiar with Rue, Jacques and Iris had only met the slightly creepy girl the day of the first task, and none of them had ever met the other three. Though this didn't seem to bother Jacques, Gabrielle and Iris were both irked. Gabrielle felt her Veela ancestry flare up as the brunette chatted with Aries. It always seemed to bug her when Aries talked to any girl that wasn't her or related to him. Sometimes Jacques joked that fireballs would start coming out of her hands.

Iris was similarly irked, but her reasons were a bit different from the beautiful Veela. The Kalgarias family, despite its remarkable size, was very close-knit. Iris considered most of her cousins more like siblings than cousins, and she thought this about Aries especially. Of the cousins, Aries was the only one her age, and they had been constant playmates in childhood. Though he had been quiet when he first came into their family, Aries had eventually blossomed and became the idealistic dreamer everyone in the family adored. This had all shattered when Aunt Zana had killed herself. Her favorite cousin started to withdraw into himself, away from their family, and became a person she didn't recognize. The new Aries hated Christmas and didn't play the piano and always looked tired and drained even when he was smiling. Worst of all, he didn't seem to trust anyone anymore, even her.

Isamu pouted. "And to think, I was so nice as to get you a nice little Christmas present." He reached into his robe's pocket and pulled out of an unopened pack of cigarettes.

Rue grabbed them before Isamu could react and caught Aries's eye, gesturing to the door. Aries nodded, relieved to get a break from the eyes that had seemed to bore into his back all night. The two walked out, seemingly oblivious to the whispers that followed. Or, at least that's what everyone thought.

* * *

><p>Lily watched as the boy that just might be her son as he excited the Hall with that Macnair girl. She wasn't sure what the connection between the two of them was, but she was eager to find out. More and more, she had been thinking about Aries Kalgarias and the girl who had once been her best friend. How had Zana died? Who was her little girl's father? How would she have known where Harry was? Why would she steal him away in the first place?<p>

If Lily was honest with herself, she knew the answer to that last question. Petunia had always been petty, even as children, and there was a good chance she would've treated Harry very badly. The thought of her firstborn being abused in anyway set her skin on fire. Why had she and James ever even agreed to give Harry to her sister in the first place? Looking back, Lily honestly didn't know. They had been so young back then, so afraid of their son being hurt by Voldemort's remaining followers, and so utterly dependent on Dumbledore's advice.

When she found out Harry had gone missing from Petunia's, Lily had believed her son was gone forever. She had never believed he was still alive, believing that she would know it in her heart, and then Aries Kalgarias showed up at Hogwarts. He looked like a Kalgarias, like Zana's son, and yet they all knew he had to be adopted. At first, Lily hadn't wanted to interfere in the boy's life. He had friends and a family, and she couldn't see how she had a right to disrupt that. Slowly, however, little things popped out at her: how Aries's eyes seemed to light up when that Veela girl was around, how he never refused his little sister piggyback rides, and how he never seemed to drink pumpkin juice at dinner. Lily recognized pieces of James and herself in his mannerisms and habits, but there was more of Zana. He had her spark, her passion, and she could not find a flaw in how her best friend raised this boy.

Lily was pulled out of her musings by her husband's voice. They were sitting at a table catching up with Emmeline Vance and her date, an Auror James frequently worked with. Emmeline had been Sirius's girlfriend about four years ago, and they had been briefly engaged that December and January. The match was just ill-suited, the both of them told their friends, but Lily always suspected the real reason was that Sirius still had Zana in his heart.

"Lilyflower? You with us?" James teased. Lily just rolled her eyes at her husband.

"Where else would I be?" she responded. Before James could come up with a response that would probably land him a week on the couch, Sirius popped in, an easy grin on his face.

James raised an eyebrow. "What's got you so happy?"

Sirius smirked. "I don't kiss and tell, Prongs," he stated. Lily and Emmeline just sighed. It was highly unlikely Sirius Black would ever grow up, but one could hope.

Both Lily and Sirius's attention were diverted elsewhere when the mysterious guests of Aries sat down at a nearby table.

"I swear, both of them are going to end up dead before their thirty," the brunette girl in a flowy pink dress that reminded Lily of the princesses she had grown up with stated, a frown on her lips.

A boy with light brown hair sat next to her and smirked. "That's probably their idea, Em." He received an elbow in the ribs. "Ow!"

"I don't like hearing stuff like that, Mar!" she said. "Especially about our leaders." The term made the clogs in both listening brains turn. Leaders? Leaders of what?

Mar just shrugged. "It's true. You know Aries and Rue. They're all live hard, die young. I mean, Aries's an adrenaline junkie. No normal person would do half the shit he does. And Rue's mentally unstable. There's no other reason a normal person would periodically cut up their face."

Em narrowed her eyes at him. "You seemed very preoccupied with what's normal for someone who isn't. We're part of this team because we're not normal, Mar. Normal teenagers don't need to do the shit we have to. We're different, and unlike you, I'm not ashamed of that."

Mar seemed to at least look like I'm ashamed. "I know. I didn't mean to diss Aries or Rue. They're great leaders, and I don't think we could have better ones. I was just being a prick."

Em's face softened. "I know what you meant to say, Mar. We're all damaged in our own ways. Rue and Aries are just a bit more than us." She turned to the Japanese boy, who had been quiet the whole time. "Whatcha think, Mu?"

"I think," Mu said slowly, "that smoking is probably one of the least destructive things those two can do to themselves. They should get to keep it." There was a short pause. "Besides, it's Christmas Eve. We should be more worried about the Boss's liver than his lungs tonight."

There was mutual agreement, and now Lily had yet another question: What happened to Aries on Christmas Eve? Looking at Sirius, she could tell he was thinking the same thing.

Before she could even approach the teenagers, however, something odd happened. Mar clutched his wrist tightly, and then the rest of them did. Despite the hands covering the skin, Lily still noticed a faint glow.

"We've got to go," Em said to the other two. "Aries and Rue should be done with their cigarettes by now."

Mar snorted. "Hell, they've probably smoked the whole bloody pack by now!" As they walked towards the door, Emma bent down to grab her purse. Lily got a glimpse of the mark on her wrist. It wasn't a Dark Mark for sure. Instead of the Skull Death Eaters bore on their forearm, this girl had a six-pointed yellow star outlined in blue on the inside of the wrist. It was oddly glowing, and Lily made every observation about she could about it until the girl scurried away to catch up to her friends. Even more questions were now spinning around her mind. Why did these teenagers have stars on their wrists? What organization were they working for? Who would train kids? And what exactly was Aries's role in this group? Lily promised to find out, even it meant confronting Aries.


	13. Author's Note: Important

**Hey everyone! I'm not one to post author's notes and no chapter, but there is something I need to address. Tonight I got a very disturbing review. It told me to get AIDs and die and to remove my story because it was terrible and a reflection of me as a person and that, after removing the story, I should follow suit because the world does not need people who add only garbage and that me doing nothing would have a more positive affect. Needless to say, this upset me.**

** I love fanfiction and the people on it. I like to think of it as a happy place for me, a place that always improves my mood. Getting reviews like this one is a punch to the stomach. I do not mind constructive criticism. I like hearing what you guys have to say. For example, I've heard several of you call me killing Zana a stupid plot device, which it might seem like. (There's more to Zana's suicide than you realize, btw.) I don't mind these kinds of things being said. I do mind when people tell me things like get AIDs and die. I have since removed this review and am willing to remove any more like it. I will not tolerate reviews like this one. If need be, I will leave this website and my stories behind.**

** Fanfiction is great because it allows us to shape our stories around reactions. I like to take reviews into account when I'm writing. I am a young writer learning her craft, and sometimes things won't be perfect. If I make mistakes or something doesn't make sense to you, let me know. You guys are the reason I write. If you have a request, voice it! I'll try to accommodate it. Thanks so much to everyone that does write positive reviews. They always make me smile. I'll try to have a chapter out for you soon. You'll see a little of Aries with his team, some more past stuff, and a surprise that I'm not going to mention. **

**On that note, reviewgirl911 out!**

**P.S. To my cowardly ****anonymous**** viewer, it is people like you that add garbage to the world by saying things like get AIDs and die. Do you even know what you're saying, or are you that immature? What you said in that review has nothing to do with me. It is only a reflection of you. Take a good look at yourself before you review anything again and learn how to use proper punctuation. **


	14. Chapter 13

**Hey! I'm back, and I promise to finish this story. *insert relieved sighs* I just wanted to take the time to say thank you for all the support you guys lent me lately. I was very touched when I saw so many of you came to my defense and offered support through reviews and PM's. I can't tell you how much better you guys made me feel, so thank you. Now, onto other business. I have done a little editing/rewriting of all the chapters. They are all updated right now. I mostly fixed grammar and spelling mistakes, but I also made some dialogue changes and addressed a plot-point mithrilandtj brought to my attention. I was informed by mithrilandtj that it didn't make sense that Aries was adopted in Britain since I had said he was blood-adopted in Greece. I tried to explain this in the revised ending to that particular chapter, but I'll bring it up here. My reasoning was that, even if Zana blood-adopted Aries into her family in Greece, she still would've had to file some kind of paperwork in England since Aries was a British citizen. And yes, she could've just taken him, but Zana wouldn't have risked any holes in the adoption that Dumbledore could later manipulate. *takes a breath* Okay, lengthy and probably unnecessary explanation over. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter, but I wouldn't mind a rental agreement with the Weasley twins.**

Aries and Rue were waiting for their team outside. Rue had finished her cigarette, but Aries was still working on his. Unlike Rue, who chain-smoked constantly, he liked to take the time to enjoy the smoke. He could almost feel the nicotine soaking into his system. Rue had debunked this once, stating, "The only thing you're feeling is the decay of your lungs." Maybe it wasn't true, but Aries still liked the feeling of smoking slowly.

Realizing his cigarette was down to a stub, he threw it to the ground and crushed it with the tip of his shoe. Emma, Marsaille, and Isamu approached. "Plant the information?" he asked bluntly.

Emma nodded, her kind face suddenly dead serious. "Even gave the Mrs. a look at my star. They should be curious enough."

"Good," he said, pulling out his wand.

"Why does the boss want us to feed them information anyway?" Mu asked, leaning back on the cold stone pillars of the castle.

Rue shrugged. "It's not our job to ask questions," she replied. Truthfully , she had no clue. It was sort of troubling that their boss, probably the most paranoid man on Earth, would have them purposely leak information. This organization, their organization, had been the stuff of myths and legends for years, and most were intent on keeping it this way.

The organization itself wasn't doing anything most governments didn't do. They spied, fought, and basically did whatever their orders told them to. It was how the organization was ran that made it so mysterious. 80% of the members joined before they were seventeen.

Aries had joined when he was thirteen, right after his mother died. She had left debts, the kind that could not be paid in money. Aries had taken on her debts as well as working off his own. The training he and Rue had received as children had not come free. They were all bound, even Henri. Aries and Rue had been doing this since they were thirteen. Isamu had been with them for two years. Marsaille and Emma had joined last year. Aries and Rue were appointed the leaders due to both experience and tradition.

Sighing, Aries put his wand to the usually concealed star tattoo at his wrist. Unlike the star Emma had let his biological mother see, which was six-pointed yellow star outlined in blue, Aries's star was blue and outlined in silver. It signified his leader status and also meant he could activate it for help or transportation out of a sticky situation. Most in Great Britain would compare it to the Dark Mark, but the truly well-educated would know that Voldemort had actually stolen said idea for a legendary organization he had come across in his extensive reading at school.

"Let die Stars schützen und glänzen," Aries murmured, waiting for the familiar pull at his navel. The star worked a lot like a Portkey except it was unnecessary for everyone to be touching one object since they were all connected via tattoo.

"Let the holidays begin," Mu joked darkly as they were whisked away.

* * *

><p>A majority of students, both Hogwarts and visiting, opted to go home for Christmas celebrations the day after the ball. Floos in Hogsmeade were made available to everyone, though the wealthier pureblood families simply had their house elves Apparate them home, a practice that enraged Hermione Granger to no end. There were students who decided to stay. The Weasleys stayed since their parents were spending the holiday with their eldest son Bill and his new wife, Fleur. Gabrielle, eager to visit her sister, had joined them. This left Jacques stranded at Hogwarts alone as Iris had gone home to Greece for the family celebration. No one had seen Aries since the ball, but he had sent for his stuff.<p>

When Jacques asked if Aries was meeting her at their grandparents' house, she laughed. "Aries doesn't ever spend the holidays in Greece," she explained. "It's too crowded for him. Every cousin, uncle, aunt, and distantly related relative is there. He likes to avoid that. Most likely, he and Lena will spend Christmas with Henri."

Iris's guess was partly correct. Aries wasn't spending Christmas in Greece with his huge extended family, but he wasn't spending it with Henri either. Instead, he was at Rue's house.

Technically, it was one of Henri's safehouses, but he had given it to Rue last May for her seventeenth birthday. It was located in rural France. Because of its daunting appearance and a slight fear of Rue, the townspeople tended to avoid the house that. It was made of dark gray, almost black stone and dark wood. The windows were small and didn't let much light in through their heavy curtains. The inside wasn't much better. It was all dark tones and dark woods and dark fabrics. The only true bright spot in the house was the room Rue gave to Lena, which was painted bubblegum pink and filled with little girl things. Aries's room at Rue's was kind of sterile. He didn't decorate it or spend much time in there. Overall, Rue's house was dark, gloomy, and depressing, and Aries hated it, but it always seemed to suit his mood when he was there.

Aries's favorite spot at Rue's was the little creek that was on the edge of Rue's property. He liked to sit there and think, sometimes smoke or drink. It was a peaceful place, one where everything was drowned out. It reminded him of the ocean back home the first time he saw it.

He had gotten through Christmas day okay. Lena had squealed in joy at her presents, which had made him smile, and he grudgingly had opened a few presents himself. Aries had gotten a new dagger from Henri, a dragonhide vest from Rue, an engraved leather notebook from Aunt Chloe and Uncle Kostos, a field Auror's first aid kit from Athena, a few new CDs from Iris, a new fishing rod from Eli and his family, a framed picture of his grandparents' home from Aunt Etna, a clay-molded cup from Lina, a woven twine bracelet from Elias, various trinkets and sentimental gifts from the great-aunts, a bottle of Greece's finest whiskey from the great uncles, a newly knitted sweater from his Yia Yia, and a couple of rare tombs from his Papou. Lena had made him a paper shield, explaining that every princess needed a knight.

Now, however, Lena was safely tucked in and asleep, and Aries was wallowing. He had opened said whiskey and started drinking. It was starting to get dark, but he wasn't sure what time it was. His toes were dipped in the creek even though it was freezing outside. He didn't really care. He didn't have enough energy to care.

Rue watched Aries, a thick cloak wrapped around her. It was always the same on Christmas now. When the festivies of the day were said and done, Aries came here and sat, sometimes smoking or drinking, but always sitting there for hours. He wouldn't come in until Rue brought him in. She could see that he wasn't wear a coat, scarf, or hat, only in his jeans and t-shirt. At one point, he had ditched his shoes and was dipping his bare toes in the icy water. There was no snow on the ground here, being a realtively warm part of France, but it was still freezing. She was surprised the lake hadn't frozen over yet. Anyone else would've nagged Aries to put his shoes and come in, but Rue simply let him was how she had found him four years ago.

* * *

><p><em>Rue was reading an old tome when she was alerted that someone had entered into the wards. Knowing it could've only been one of two people, she continued reading. An hour passed, and no one had come into the house. Slightly curious, she closed her book and went outside, pulling a cloak around herself. It wasn't super cold, but there was a slight chill in the air. She couldn't imagine why Aries or Henri would've stayed outside. Of course, Henri could be repairing the broken pipe, but she couldn't imagine he'd do that on Christmas day. Even the old man was slightly sentimental. <em>

_ Walking further into her acres, she spotted a figure sitting at her creek. Getting closer, she realized it was Aries. He didn't have a coat or even any shoes on. He was in a t-shirt and jeans, and his hair was sticking up in the wild way she knew it did when he had just woken up. She sat down next to him._

_ "Hello," Rue said. It made Aries jump up in surprise._

_ "Hey," he replied quietly. Neither of them said anything for a while. Rue knew better than to press. He'd tell her when he could._

_ Finally, after a little wait, Aries spoke. "My mom's dead," he stated. Rue merely blinked. What could she say? She had no explanation, no words of comfort. It wasn't in her nature. So she just let him keep talking. "I found her this morning. She was hanging by our shower curtains." He stopped for a moment, trying to catch his thoughts. "Why would she do this? I mean, I know why she was hanging by the curtains, but... I thought she was doing better. She seemed to be doing better since Lena. Lena gives her a focus while I'm at school. I just... I don't understand. I found a newspaper article on her dresser. It said that Sirius Black was getting married. But I don't think that would've done it. It's just a fucking mess. What's going to happen to me and Lena?I just..." He stopped and took a breath. "I hate her right now, and I hate myself too."_

_ Rue waited a bit to see if Aries would start talking again. Finally she spoke up. "I'm sorry, Aries." It was all she could say._

_ Aries just smiled sadly. "Me too," he said. They just sat there, Aries staring at the sky and Rue offering quiet support, until it was completely black out and Aries's teeth started chattering. _

_ Aries got up, offering a hand to Rue. She grabbed it, and he pulled her up. Aries was quiet. "Thank you, Rue," he said._

_ Rue only smiled. "I don't need a thank you."_

_ Aries rolled his eyes. "I know."_

* * *

><p>Rue sat down next to Aries like she had all those years ago. He was drinking whiskey. She grabbed the bottle away, taking a swig herself. She waited for him to speak.<p>

Aries took his feet out of the water. He lay back on the grass, sighing. "When did life get so hard, Rue?" he asked quietly.

Rue shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it didn't get harder. Maybe we just got more complicated."

"That's possible?" Aries questioned with a harsh laugh. Rue smiled. "You and I are just two screw-ups."

She raised the whiskey bottle up. "Cheers!"

Aries rolled his eyes affectionately. "Love you, Macnair."

Rue took a swing on the whiskey and swallowed. "Back at 'cha, Kalgarias


	15. Chapter 14

**Hey! I know it's been a while! I've just been super busy, and this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written so please forgive me! It's the second task with a little surprise for Aries and a little regretful introspective from Lily. I also have a sweet fluffy Aries/Gabrielle moment thrown in just for Gina because she begged me for it. Hope it's not too out of character. Thanks for all the reviews! You guys are just so awesome and supportive, and I couldn't have better people rooting for me than you guys. Enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I do own J.K. Rowling's new book however. Definitely a must-read btw.**

The Christmas holiday passed by quickly, and the second task of the tournament approached faster than anyone would've thought. The school seemed to buzz in anticipation, but the champions were a bit more wary. The egg, while tricky at first, was not a hard clue to crack once you could actually hear what was being said. Different parts of the message alarmed different champions. Both Draco Malfoy and Drew Potter were worried about the swimming portion of the task because, while both boys did know how to swim, it was not a hobby encouraged by the (mostly) Pureblood English families they grew up in. Ana was more worried about the time she had to actually spend underwater. Though a fairly good swimmer, she was not found of diving underwater due to a traumatic childhood experience with a jellyfish on holiday.

Aries Kalgarias, on the other hand, was alarmed by the task for a whole other myriad of reasons. The riddle had clearly stated, "And while you're searching, ponder this: We've taken what you'll sorely miss". Rue had suggested during their discussion of the clue over the holiday that Dumbledore would probably use people as the thing they'd sorely miss, and Aries was inclined to agree since his friend had a Seer-like ability of predicting the outcome of any given situation. What really worried Aries was that there were only two people at Hogwarts he would sorely miss, and he didn't trust Dumbledore with their lives for a second, even if it was just for some tournament. If a hair on Iris or Gabrielle's head was harmed, Albus Dumbledore would have hell to pay.

It was with this attitude Aries went to the second task that chilly February day. It was so chilly that he seriously wondered who'd plan a task in the lake for late February. "Guess that mistake can be summed up to British incompetence," he murmured quietly to himself. Other than the coldness of the water, Aries wasn't worried about swimming. Spending the summers growing up in Greece meant that you were always in the water. He and his cousins had gone out to the ocean like other kids had gone to the park. Within five months of being brought into the family he was an experienced swimmer. That and the potion recipe Rue had given to help expand the time he could spend underwater guaranteed this task would be a breeze for Aries.

The laid-back confidence Aries was emitting was so off-putting to his fellow champions (Ana excluded) that Drew Potter eventually burst out, "How are you so bloody calm, Kalgarias?"

Aries just looked at the kid. He really did feel nothing for this guy that could've been his brother in a different life, but he did admire Drew's guts for asking a question (if not so tactfully) that everyone else was too intimidated to ask. Laughing, he answered, "I'm Greek, Potter. I spent more of my childhood in the Mediterranean than on land. A measly lake in England doesn't frighten me." Aries glanced at the water. "Looks a little cold though."

Surprisingly, Drew replied, "Thanks for that deduction, Sherlock." Both Ana and Malfoy looked confused.

"It's a reference to a famous Muggle detective from 19th literature, Sherlock Holmes," Aries explained.

Ana rolled her eyes. "How is it you know everything?" she teased.

Aries shrugged. "Once you've lived everywhere, you know everything."

That comment aroused the curiosity of many surrounding eavesdroppers and even some of the people involved in said conversation. Drew in particular was dying to know more about the kid who his parents couldn't seem to stop discussing, whose late mother had been Sirius's first (and only if Remus was to believed) love. He would've asked what countries were included said everywhere if a certain ominous figure hadn't appeared next to him. Druella Macnair just seemed to scare people out of speech wherever she went.

Aries seemed more upbeat when he saw Rue but instantly deflated when he noticed someone missing. Looking around, he asked, "Where's Lena?"

Rue's usually impassive expression gave away to one of panic in a flash. "What do you mean, 'Where's Lena?' She's supposed to be with you!" Aries started to argue, but Rue stopped him by saying, "Henri brought her here last night. She wanted to go to the second task with you. I think she was just scared for you so I agreed to let her go. Henri told me he dropped her off with Madame Maxine and that the Headmistress was planning to take her to Dumbledore to verify it was okay for her to stay the night before bringing her to you."

The minute Rue finished talking, Aries's expression distorted into one of pure hatred. He swore in several different languages. It wasn't surprising that Gabrielle and Iris, with their mutual talent of sensing trouble wherever Aries Kalgarias was concerned, appeared instantly.

"What's going on?" Gabrielle asked, a little concerned by the familiar unsettling intensity in her best friend's eyes. In her experience, it had never meant anything good.

By now, Rue had caught onto Aries's thought process, and she adopted a murderous glare as she answered, "Aries's treasure is Lena."

This statement caused the two girls to swear simultaneously, albeit in different languages, and turn to glare at Dumbledore's back.

"_I'm going to kill that old goat,_" Iris swore, a malicious glint in her eyes. No one messed with her family. Not even Albus fucking Dumbledore.

Aries took a dangerous step in Dumbledore's direction, his body radiating fury and raw uncontrollable magic. Gabrielle stepped in front of him, knowing what his next move would be.

"**Don't**," she pleaded softly in French, hoping to get rid of the other eavesdropping champions and their friends.

"**Why not?**" he shot back, steam practically pouring out of his ears. All he could think about was his sister, gentle little Lena, at the bottom of the lake with mean-spirited merepeople guarding her. Aries had heard enough from his papou and many other experienced fishermen in the village to know that merepeople were notorious for breaking agreements with humans.

"**Because we're guests at this school, and killing their headmaster would not make a good impression**," Gabrielle shot back sarcastically. "**Oh, and the fact that it would leave with life in Azakban and Lena without a guardian. Dumbledore would get away too easily.**"

Aries's resolve seemed to be weakening, but he was still stubborn. Luckily, Rue took him aside and started speaking in fast-paced German. Since neither Gabrielle nor Iris nor anyone else listening knew German, they just watched their faces. It seemed like Rue was calming Aries down, and after a few minutes she switched back to English.

"Just let me take care of this," Rue advised. "You go win the task." She leaned closer to Aries and whispered something that only Gabrielle could hear and therefore worry about. "You need this. The boss won't be happy unless you win all three tasks." The announcements for the task began and everyone's attention wandered back that way, leaving Gabrielle to puzzle over who exactly was pulling her best friend's strings. There was one thing she did know. Aries's strings had been pulled by someone else since his mother died.

* * *

><p>Lily Potter shivered, pulling her cloak around her as she stared at the lake. Though a better option than dragons, the idea of her son diving in the lake wasn't comforting at all. She looked over at Drew. He was standing tall, nervous and jittery but also excited. Lily caught his attention and smiled and then continued to observe the champions. Draco Malfoy had his usual bored haughty expression in place, but Lily's well-trained eye of a mother detected a hint of nervousness there as well. The Durmstrang girl, Ana, seemed calm and collected, though her eyes kept flickering down to the water and back. Zana's son, on the other hand, seemed like he was getting ready for battle, a fiercely determined glint in his eyes and a potion vial in his hand.<p>

Lily listened to Dumbledore, Crouch, and Bagman explain the task and set the guidelines. Before she even could say "Go!", the horn had been blown and the champions off. Draco and Ana both cast spells on themselves, Ana's giving her skin an odd bluish tint and Draco's putting a bubble around his head. Her son swallowed gillyweed and jumped into the water spastically. Aries calmly swallowed his potion and dove into the lake like he did it every day.

Still shivering, she felt her husband's warm arms wrap around her. Just looking at it made her cold. Lily had never liked swimming in the lake. Most students didn't. Zana was the exception. She had gone in almost every day, rain or shine, earning her the nickname "Gryffindor's Mermaid". Sirius used to love to tease Zana by reminding everyone of her first question before the Sorting first year: "Are we allowed to swim in the lake?" Many a boy had sat by the lake on a nice spring day just to catch a glimpse of the gorgeous Greek goddess Zana Kalagarias in her red bikini. One particularly enterprising Ravenclaw snapped pictures and made a steady little business selling them until Sirius caught wind of it and threatened to break the guy's face if the enterprise continued. Lily had always envied Zana's reaction to the news. Her best friend had simply tossed her hair back and laughed, asking why no one had thought it fit to give her a cut of the profits. Lily had never known confidence like Zana's. She would've been mortified if someone took pictures of her in a bikini or even just if they were spying on her while she was wearing one. That was okay, though, in their Hogwarts days because Zana had always had enough for the two of them and was more than willing to lend it wherever need be.

Sometimes Lily wondered why she was placed in Gryffindor. She wasn't brave like James and Sirius, who were both willing to give up their lives everyday as Aurors, or courageous like Zana, who always said what she thought and stood up for what she believed was right. And, despite what Albus, James, and even Sirius said, Zana had been right when it came to Harry. Lily had shown a glimpse of Gryffindor courage through her willingness to die for her son that Halloween night, but she ultimately failed Harry but not fighting for him. Sometimes, she wondered if it would've been better to die that night because at least then she would've done all she could for her precious baby boy. Instead, she had let her son go. There were so many excuses they had used to explain their decision. She and James had been young and scared, and it had been easy to hand the situation over to Dumbledore, but it hadn't been right. Zana had been right, and if she could, Lily would tell her friend just that and how she was sorry. So lost in her memories of Zana was Lily that she was sure that at least half an hour had passed when the first champion appeared instead of the actual fifteen minutes that had.

* * *

><p>All eyes were on Aries Kalgarias as he swam steadily toward the dock, his little sister on his back, her small arms wrapped around his neck. It didn't take long for them to reach the dock. Aries's buff body allowed him to pull himself up onto the dock backward, allowing his sister to sit on the dock, before turning forward to pull himself up. It was very impressive, proving that the Beauxbaton champion had muscle and brains.<p>

Iris draped Lena in a fluffy blanket and whispered to her gently in Greek, saying how brave Lena was and explaining the whole situation to the disoriented little girl. Gabrielle handed Aries a towel, which he used to quickly dry his head before placing it around Lena. Rue, who had been standing aloofly a few feet away, rolled her eyes and cast a silent Warming charm at him. Aries smiled gratefully.

Lena, who now grasped what had happened that day, only had one complaint about the task. "I was at the bottom of the lake, and I didn't even get to see it?" Many laughed at her indignant childish lisp while the little girl pouted.

Iris smiled. "You were asleep," she reminded her favorite little cousin. "Besides, it was Aries's job to rescue you."

"Like a superhero!" Lena proclaimed to the amusement of Gabrielle and Iris. Aries certainly didn't look like a superhero at the moment. He was currently sitting behind his little sister, trying to untangle the knotty wet curls so they wouldn't be a hassle to brush later.

"Which super-hero?" Gabrielle asked, a mischievous sparkle to her eyes. Aries groaned. This wasn't going to end well for him.

Lena adorably scrunched up her face for a minute, thinking of an answer. Finally, she declared, "Superman cuz he can swim really good and he's famous cuz he played piano at Birdie Hall."

Many people looked confused until Aries, who had moved on from unknotting to braiding his sister's hair, laughed and gently corrected Lena. "It's Carnegie Hall, munchkin, not Canary Hall."

A nearby Muggleborn Ravenclaw snorted. "You've played at Carnegie Hall?" she repeated skeptically.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Gabrielle or Iris that were the first to come to Aries's defense but Rue. "He's played it three times: once at nine, eleven, and thirteen."

There was a lot of whispers and murmurs. Aries looked down as if embarrassed. "It's not that big of a deal," he mumbled.

Rue rolled her eyes. "Yes, that's why Julliard is holding a spot for you," she shot back. "Of course, you're not going."

Aries's brow furrowed. "How did you…"  
>"Jac told me."<p>

He sighed. "Typical."

Rue filled Aries with a serious stare. It was obvious this was a familiar argument between the two of them. Gabrielle and Iris both admired Rue's boldness. Both girls were reluctant to bring up such topics with Aries because he'd just shut down, and they'd get nowhere. Rue didn't seem to have that fear. "You once told me you wanted to go to Julliard and have the whole world hear you play."

Aries rolled his eyes. "I was ten. I also wanted to be able to fly." He tried to play it off as a joke, but no one who knew him took it as one.

Rue's face seemed to soften somehow. "Not all dreams are impossible.

The Greek boy tied off his sister's braid and shrugged. "Not all dreams are supposed to come true."

Rue didn't have anything else to say. Instead, she simply bent down, kissed Lena on the forehead, whispered something in Aries's ear, and headed towards Dumbledore.

Attention was soon diverted to the lake, where Drew Potter was swimming with his hostage five minutes after Aries. Ten minutes later, Ana appeared with her hostage, Draco not far behind. Aries was awarded the full fifty points for his creative new potion and total lack of injuries. Drew Potter came in second with forty-eight points. Draco came in third with forty-five points, a few docked because he had been injured after insulting one of the merepeople. Ana was a very close last place with forty-four points because, though she brought back her hostage, her spell had malfunctioned.

All in all, the mood was joyous, and everyone went off to get warm inside, few noticing the slightly intimidated look on Dumbledore's face. The few that did, mainly Aries, smirked inwardly to themselves. It was really a bad idea to piss off Druella Macnair.

* * *

><p>Gabrielle laughed, stepping into the boys' dormitory. There had been a huge party after the task, celebrating Aries's victory, and she was a little tipsy. Not thinking she'd be able to make it all the way back to the girl's carriage, Aries had simply opted to take her to his room. He was supporting her slightly, but he didn't mind. He liked how Gabrielle's body felt pressed against his.<p>

"That was so much fun!" she giggling, almost tripping over her own feet. "I love parties!"

Aries held onto her. "Gee, really? I couldn't tell," he quipped.

Gabrielle pouted exaggeratedly at him. "Butthead," she coughed under her breath.

He raised an eyebrow. "Butthead? That's really the best insult you can come up with?"

"Yep," Gabrielle stated defiantly. "But I guess that's not a good insult cuz you have a cute butt."

Gabrielle internally crowed victory when Aries blushed. "I think you've had a little too much to drink," he said cautiously.

She didn't acknowledge the comment. "You know what?" Gabrielle asked.

"What?"

"You should've been DJ tonight," she said. "The music sucked."

"Yeah, it did," Aries agreed. It was all Top 40 garbage, and he had just wanted to kill someone.

Suddenly, Gabrielle looked thoughtful. "Do you remember the first time we met?" Aries didn't answer. "I do. I remember hearing loud music, really loud, playing next door. It was probably six or seven in the morning. Papa was already up, but Maman was so mad she took me and Fleur over to complain. She dragged us out of bed and over to your house. The door was unlocked, and we went inside. You and Zana were dancing madly to some song, half-unpacked boxes everywhere. You didn't notice us till the song ended, and then Maman cleared her throat. Zana turned around and smiled, and Maman wasn't angry anymore. She apologized, saying you two weren't over the time difference from India, and offered her tea. They went into the kitchen, and it was just you, me, and Fleur, and I was staring at you so hard that Fleur had to elbow me to get me to introduce myself. You just smiled and said, "Hi, I'm Aries." And it was like we were instant best friends. We ended up staying for breakfast and lunch, and it took Papa dragging us home for us to leave. On the way home, Fleur said, "Gabrielle's in love with the neighbor boy!" and Maman scolded her, but I said nothing. I couldn't even put words into a sentence."

She looked down at her feet, suddenly embarrassed she said so much. She let Aries guide her to his room. When they reached his door, however, he stopped. He made sure she was looking in his eyes. Gabrielle was surprised by his gentle gaze. "I remember," Aries whispered. "I remember that song ending, and turning around to see three people, but all I could focus on was the angel. That's what I first thought of you. I was so nervous when I introduced myself. I was just glad the words came out in English since I couldn't speak French yet. I hated your Papa for taking you home, and later that day my mama said, "Baby, that little girl will break your heart one day", and I replied, "I don't think I would mind."

Gabrielle's hurt fluttered at that, and she leaned forward to kiss him. It was a fierce kiss, and he responded in likeness. She threaded her hands through his hair, and his hands went around her waist, pulling her closer. Nothing, not the Tournament, not anything else in his life, felt more important than this moment right now. They would've kissed like that all night if the need for oxygen hadn't come up.

Aries pulled away, his eyes never leaving Gabrielle. Her hair was slightly wild, her lips swollen. It would be so easy to have her right here and now, and he wanted it so badly, but it wouldn't be right. "You should go to bed," he said. "I'm going to go tell Jacques he's sleeping on the floor tonight."

Gabrielle frowned. "We can share a bed, you know." When he started to argue, she added, "And just sleep. Nothing else has to happen."

Aries hesitated. She sighed. "Stop being so noble, and come to bed with me."

He laughed. "Okay. But just remember, you're the one taking advantage of me here."

"Duly noted," she winked, opening the door, dragging him behind him.

Aries stripped down to his boxers while Gabrielle took off her dress and threw on one of Aries's shirts. They got into his bed, Gabrielle comfortably relaxing in Aries's strong arms. She traced one of his tattoos, her touch driving him crazy.

"You're going to be the death of me, Delacour," he whispered into her hair. She giggled softily, already half-asleep. "But what a wonderful death it will be."

And it was like that that Jacques found them two hours later, asleep, Aries arms around Gabrielle, her head burrowed into his neck. He only smiled and rolled his eyes. About freaking time was his only real thought. Everyone knew the two were going to get together since first year. There was even a bet going on about when it would happen.

Jacques pulled out a Polaroid and snapped a picture. After all, if he wanted to win the bet, he'd need proof. Then he promptly flopped onto his bed and passed on.


	16. Chapter 15

**Hey! What's up all? Happy to hear from me? I thought so! Thanks for all the reviews! I thought it was hilarious how almost everyone commented on Jacques passing on. It's good to know you guys are more attentive to my typos than I am. So now there's some bad news for the Kalgarias family and a mission that goes wrong for Aries and Rue's team next chapter. Is there a larger conspiracy at play? Read on to find out! Please review! Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am just a bored and slightly confused student in Chemistry.**

**Also, replies to a few interesting reviews:**

**armahgeddon: I definitely plan on doing more Aries/Gabrielle. I'm not sure how big a role their relationship will play in the overall plot, but I'll try to incorporate them as much as possible.**

**Darkth Shadow: Thanks! I never really thought of an Aries/Rue pairing. In my view, they are just incredibly good friends. I don't think Rue trusts herself or the world enough for a romantic relationship, and she just doesn't see Aries that way.**

**M3X1CAN N1NJA: Thanks! I tried to avoid the clichéd evil Potter thing. I have kept Aries's organization fairly mysterious, though more will be revealed this chapter. Henri plays a large part in said organization, but he is not the leader. If he was, Rue and Aries would not be a part of it.**

The morning after the second task was quiet and calm. Most of the older students (and some of the professors) were fighting off hangovers and a general lack of sleep from the night's festivities. Gabrielle was feeling the pain of her drinking the night before, and she was generally unresponsive though positioned comfortably against Aries. He was mostly okay, having not drank, but exhausted. Jacques just smirked at them, remembering the picture that was hidden in his room. About freaking time!

Everything was normal until Iris came over to their table. Aries immediately woke up, seeing the tears running down her cheeks. "_Ris, what's wrong?_" he asked gently, noticing a letter clutched in her hands. This could not be good.

Iris choked down a sob. "_Papou had a heart attack last night,_" she said. "_He's gone._" Gabrielle leaned away from Aries, allowing him to get up and comfort his cousin. Aries did not cry, and Gabrielle could not remember the last time she had seen him do so, but she could tell he was hurting. Aries adored his grandparents and had looked up to his grandfather, having never had a father in his life.

Iris just clung to her cousin, absorbing the comfort he gave. Aries had always been the steady one, the one who didn't break down when things got bad, when Uncle Cyrus had died, when Aunt Zana had died. He always seemed okay, even when she knew he wasn't. Iris knew it was a result of his childhood and those awful people he had lived with, and she would always hate them for what they did to her favorite cousin, but she was also grateful there was someone in her life who could hold everything together.

After a couple minutes, Iris's sobs died down, and he asked, "_When's the funeral?_"

"_Wednesday,_" she replied, wiping the tear tracks off her cheeks. "_Papa is going to pick us up."_

Aries sighed. "_I'm going to go write to Rue and see if she can bring Lena to stay with me until then. I should be the one to tell her._" Iris just nodded, unable to say much. He turned to Jacques. "**Make sure she eats something**," he instructed, heading to the door.

He was stopped by Gabrielle. She stood in front of him, eyes filled with worry. "**Are you okay?**" she asked gently.

"**Fine,**" he said distractedly. Gabrielle grabbed his head and forced him to look at her.

"**Are you okay?**" she repeated. Aries didn't say anything, only clenching his jaw. Gabrielle sighed, dropping her hands. As if trying to offer some kind of reassurance, he kissed her gently on the forehead before heading back to the carriage. She smiled for a moment at the kiss, but a frown soon marred her beautiful features. No matter what Aries said, she was worried about him. Gabrielle always worried about him because he didn't seem to worry about himself.

"**Gabrielle,**" Jacques said, his eyes flickering back to Iris, who was slowly eating a plate of breakfast, every once in a while, "**Aries will be fine. He's tough**."

This didn't diminish Gabrielle's worry. She had seen things Jacques hadn't. Jacques had only known the Aries that emerged after his mother's death. She remembered the dreamer, the boy who made magic with a piano, the first boy she ever had a crush on. More importantly, she remembered the wild, intense look in his eyes the morning his mother died. She remembered the dreams being replaced a harsh practicality and the quiet grief that always seemed to linger after that. They had lost a lot of Aries when Zana had died. She didn't want to lose any more of him.

* * *

><p>The days flew by. Wednesday came, and Aries and Iris received permission from their respective headmastersheadmistresses to leave Hogwarts. Technically, Aries already had permission to leave school when necessary due to his sister, but he would've refused to leave without Iris. Uncle Kostos did pick them up, but he was joined by Athena, who immediately embraced her sister and cousin and began inspecting them like the mother hen she was. If the Hall could've spoken Greek, they would've laughed at Aries Kalgarias being reprimanded on his sleeping habits like a young boy. Lena had been sent to come stay with Aries the night they heard the news, and she'd clung to him since like a little shadow. Of course, she managed to get the majority of Hogwarts under her spell, charming them with her fragmented English and whimsical air. She and Luna Lovegood seemed to get along splendidly.

The Kalgarias family didn't make it back to Hogwarts until midnight Thursday. Iris went to the Durmstrang ship while Aries carried an asleep Lena to the Beauxbaton carriage. He took her shoes off and undid her braid, laid her down on his bed, took off his shoes, and fell asleep.

He woke the next morning to a hyper Lena. "_Wake up! Wake up! It's morning!_" the little girl shouted, her curls flying everywhere.

Aries groaned. "_Calm down, little one,_" he said, sitting up. Lena, however, was unsatisfied.

"_Get up! Get up! Get up!"_ Aries knew he would not win this battle. He threw the covers off himself, got up, and looked resentfully at his still sleeping roommate. An evil idea popped into his head. "_Princess, I'm going to go get ready. Why don't you wake Jacques? I'm sure he'd appreciate it."_ The little girl agreed eagerly and went over to his roommate's bed. Aries smirked. "_And don't take no for an answer!_"

After a nice relaxing shower, Aries got dressed and exited the bathroom. He was greeted by a glaring Jacques and a bouncing Lena.

Jacques got up, his hair all over the place. "**I despise you, Kalgarias,**" he snarled, pushing past him to the bathroom.

Aries laughed. "**Love you too, Duparc,**" he shouted back. While Jacques showered, he got his sister ready. Lena had taken a bath last night at their grandparents' house so he didn't worry about them. He helped her get dressed in a t-shirt and a long skirt and the fairy wings she insisted upon. He tried to braid her curls, but they refused to be tamed so he just gently brushed them out and let them stay free.

It didn't take long for Jacques get ready, and then the three of them made their way to the castle, picking up Gabrielle from the girls' carriage. She pecked Aries gently on the lips, and he pulled her close to him, causing whistling by Jacques and squeals of joy from Lena.

Breakfast was a quiet affair. Aries had a strong cup of coffee and cut up pancakes for Lena. Iris sat with them, but she didn't eat anything. At one point, Lena looked up. There was syrup all over her face. Aries sighed and began to clean up his sister. While he did so, she asked, "Why do persons die?"

"People," Iris gently corrected, barely looking up from the table.

Lena pouted. "Why do people die?" she asked her older brother again.

The table was quiet. Gabrielle stayed close to Aries, trying to offer support. Most were curious to see what he would say. "People aren't meant to live forever, Princess. Everyone dies eventually."

"Why did Papou die?" she pressed on.

"Because he was old, and it was his time."

"Why did Mama die?"

Aries froze. He wasn't sure how to answer the question. He didn't think there was a real answer. He had suspicions of foul play, but he also knew that his mother, for all her virtues, had possibly been bipolar. Her lows had always been very low, and her highs extremely high.

Lena frowned. She wasn't getting an answer, and Aries always answered her questions. So she asked again. "Why did Mama die?"

He sighed. "Mama was sick," he answered. It was clear Lena did not understand. Her idea of being sick was having the flu. He decided to try a different approach. "Lena, do you remember Yia-Yia's stories, the ones about demons?" The little girl nodded, remembering the spectacular tales. "Well, demons don't just exist in Hell. Demons are all around us, in people and places. Sometimes the demons in people over power them, and there's nothing they can do about it. Mama had demons like that, Princess. No matter how much she loved us, she couldn't fight them."

The Hogwarts students around Aries looked sad but curious while his classmates just looked sad. They remembered his mother's suicide third year. Lena, on the other hand, had her face scrunched up in worry. "Do I have demons?"

Aries laughed much to his sister's ire. Backtracking, he replied, "Princess, if you have to ask that question, it means I'm doing something right with you. When you have demons, you know it, and if you ever have demons it means I haven't done a good enough job protecting you." For moment, his mind flickered back to a broken little boy, hunched in a cupboard, a strange dark haired girl with scars on her face, suffering and hunger and loneliness…

Lena seemed to sense something in his silence. Her perceptiveness was unusual for her age but encouraged by Aries because he remembered not being to ask questions. "Are you going die?"

It was a charged question, and he knew it. "Everyone dies eventually," he replied carefully.

"But you not die soon?" pressed Lena in broken English. The conversation would've been in English, but Aries always spoke English at Hogwarts meals as a courtesy and had asked her to do the same.

Aries pulled his little sister close and kissed the top of her head. "I promise not to die until you're old and don't need me anymore."

The little girl snuggled into her big brother. "Always need you," she mumbled, her eyes drooping. The meal had made her tired and lethargic.

"Whatever you say, munchkin," he whispered into her ear. He adjusted the sleeping little girl so she could sleep and he could eat his breakfast. His eyes flickered up into Gabrielle's. The sky blue orbs seem to ask one thing: Are you okay? Aries could only shrug and eat because he didn't think he would ever be able to answer that question.

* * *

><p>The Beauxbaton students were so wrapped up in their breakfast and concern that no one noticed the penetrating gaze of Lily Potter. Information spun through her head, and she didn't like all that she heard. Zana Kalgarias was never a person she thought had demons. Popular and outgoing, Zana seemed to have everything at school. Of course, digging beneath the surface that wasn't necessarily true. Zana's parents were killed in a fire third year, and she had never been the same. Though still much of what she was before, a certain innocence was gone. After that, family stopped picking her up at the train station. Instead, a boy their age that looked remarkably like Sirius would be waiting, blank expression on his face. Zana always looked happy to see him, which made Sirius insanely jealous, but she didn't always seem happy to go with him. Of course, Lily hadn't thought much about it at the time because Zana would laugh and hug her and promise to write, which she did sporadically. It was hard to get together with her best friend over the summer as the beautiful Greek girl always seemed to be busy, and it often wasn't until September 1st that she saw Zana again. The same boy (Thomas, if she remembered correctly) would drop Zana off and whisper something that made her roll her eyes in her ear before disappearing before any of her friends could meet him. Zana made excuse after excuse for this, vexing them to no end.<p>

Still, besides that little mystery and the semi-frequent school absences for "family emergencies", Zana was fairly normal. Of course, Lily also knew the breakup with Sirius could've played a role in things. Zana's one fault, if any, was that she loved too hard. Add that in with losing Harry and being abandoned by whatever man had fathered her daughter, and Lily could see where demons in Zana's life could be.

What really piqued Lily's attention was how Aries talked about demons like it was something he was intimately familiar with, like it was something he dealt with. What demons would Zana's son have? What had happened to him before he was adopted? Little did she know her questions would be answered soon.


	17. Chapter 16

** Hey! Merry Christmas! Have an update! It's been forever, but I'm trying to make up for it. So now Aries's team got into some trouble, more conspiracies, a little kickass Madame Maxine, and a Gabrielle/Rue bonding moment. What more could you really want for Christmas? Hope you enjoy! Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter. I am fortunate enough to own a computer though. Onto review responses!**

**regfurby: I don't hate Sirius, but he's not really going to come off wonderfully in this story either. I'm trying not to do any bashing because that would be too easy. Dumbledore will suffer in time, but I haven't gotten there yet. Gabrielle is in 7****th**** year for Aries, and I did mention it in the very beginning. Aries doesn't really have a plan for revenge, but you can bet someone else does.**

**digbygreen: Easier said than done, I'm afraid. The flash-backs do take you out of the story a bit, but I think they add something huge to the plot. I will say for certain that Lena is not Sirius's daughter, but I want him to think she could possibly be. The suicide is more complicated than it seems…**

**Xavras: I wish I could update more frequently, but I don't have enough time. I do use a spell-check, but a beta would make my updates even more infrequent. I try to get these chapters up as fast as possible, and that might mean grammar mistakes. Take it or leave it. Aries's relationship with Gabrielle is something I want to explore more, but it's not at the center of the plot. There will be a little more development this chapter. Aries would've liked to confront Dumbledore, but he is also at the Tournament for a reason, and he can't afford a fight with Dumbledore. Besides, I think Rue's threat would be much more efficient (not to mention scary). Sirius and Lily are the ones picking up the similarities between Zana and Aries because they were the ones closer to her. James knows Zana, but not to the extent that his wife and best friend do. His relationship to her really only exists through them. I actually have no Greek in my background at all, but I have done a bit of research to make sure that stuff is accurate. Thanks for your long (and very awesomely detailed) reviews! Hope I cleared up some stuff.**

**overbooked: There is a major conspiracy going on, though I won't give you much detail. Many people seem to want me to have the Potters be Imperuised or Confounded, but I think that's a cheap way out. Some say, "Well, good loving parents wouldn't just ditch their kid like that". I disagree. During World War II, English parents sent their children away to the countryside to avoid the bombings. Communication was probably difficult. Did that mean those parents didn't love their kids? No. I view the Potters in the same way. They were coming out of what is their equivalent to a World War. Their baby son just defeated the greatest Dark Lord of all time, but his followers are still at large. A leader everyone trusts gives them an option that will keep their son away from all of that. Lily and James are Order members and James an Auror. They can't really just go and hide with Harry. No, who really deserves the blame is Dumbledore. He's just a manipulative old bastard. Sorry, I just ranted a little bit there but it's something I've seen in multiple reviews and wanted to clear up.**

**Dee3: She does on some level, but she also knows the timeline is wrong. Lena is six years old, and none of them have seen Zana in eleven years. That would make Sirius being Lena's father a tad bit difficult.**

**Anon: I may take a while, but my stories never die. Add me to your story alert so that misfortune does not happen to you again. *winks***

**M3X1CAN N1NJA: Thanks! The only reason the last chapter ended where it did was that I wanted to post an update that night even though I could've kept going. Honestly, I have to do a reread of my previous chapters almost everytime I update so I suggest you just skim them like I do. **

**RebeliousOne: That's true. In response to the Potters, see my previous response to overbooked. There will be punishments for those who deserve them, however.**

**Kairan1979: Yes, I do keep killing off Aries's loved ones, but I do it for the same reason J.K. Rowling killed off basically all of Harry's father figures: to make him self-reliant. Lily and James were blind, and there will be some form of punishment, but I do not see them as evil (see response to overbooked). They had good intentions in wanting their son to be safe. They just were misguided. Dumbledore, on the other hand, is going down.**

**Cooper: It's interesting you like Rue so much. I always thought of as that person only Aries and I would like. I never planned on that pairing because 1) I hate OC pairings most of the time because then you have to develop the OC very well and etc., 2) Rue has been badly hurt in her life by a man. I don't think she'll ever truly be comfortable in a romantic relationship, and 3) Rue and Aries have a very sibling like relationship. **

**adenoide: Again, see response to overbooked. Lily did give up her son, but she never claimed to stop loving him. She does have two other kids, but they are not replacements for the one she has lost. Losing Zana did hurt her kids, but there is more going on there than you know. You'll just have to wait and see who Aries's boss is.**

**ImmortalMyrddin: See response to overbooked.**

**Gruffard: Thanks! It always said in canon that Lily was an exceptionally bright witch so I tried to infuse that into the character.**

**FreelanceBum: See response to overbooked. Well, if you marked it on alert, that means you're interested at the very least. That's good. **

Aries sent Lena home that afternoon and soon after received a summons. Ignoring Gabrielle's concerned gaze, he ducked out of his Transfiguration class and found his team waiting for him in the hallway. Tapping his wand to his tattoo, the team of five was whisked off to some unknown location.

Gabrielle wasn't too worried initially. Aries had been summoned during class before. She wasn't sure how he was able to maintain good grades, but the point was he always came back before too long and didn't ever seem hurt. When there was no sign of Aries by dinner, however, she got worried.

Jacques did his best to reassure Gabrielle and a frantic Iris, but it was obvious that he was worried too. Toward the end of the meal there was a crash in the Great Hall, and everyone looked up to see Aries and some unknown people trying to get up.

Things did not look good. The scary girl, Rue, was digging through a bag for something while the brown-haired girl was putting pressure on the brown-haired boy's chest wound. The Japanese boy was trying to keep off his right ankle, and Aries had a splotch of red showing through his t-shirt.

"Rue, do something!" the brown-haired girl said panickedly.

Rue continued looking through her bag. "Em, I'm doing the best I can, but I don't think I have anything that can heal that. I can give him a Blood-Replenishing potion and hope he doesn't bleed out."

Aries pinched his nose, trying to think. "What language was the curse in?"

"Russian, I think," the Japanese boy responded.

"Excellent," Aries grinned. He said something in Russian, and then the wound closed immediately. Emma looked at Aries in amazement. Rue rolled her eyes.

"How did you…?"

"I guessed. Can you set Mu's ankle?" Emma nodded, moving to help Isamu. Rue turned to Aries.

"Shirt off," she ordered. Aries raised an eyebrow.

"For a little cut?" he teased.

Rue narrowed her eyes. "That little cut made a great slash on your shoulder. Shirt off now." Aries went to open his mouth, but Rue cut him off. "And hold the sexual innuendo please."

"You're no fun," he grumbled, pulling his shirt off. She focused on healing his shoulder, but everyone else was just staring at Aries. His chest was well-muscled and defined, catching the eyes of many girls much to Gabrielle's ire, but that was not what the majority of the people were staring at. No, all eyes were on Aries's tattoos. On his left shoulder was a detailed sailboat with a name and date etched in Greek on the sail. Right above his heart and going down were lines of music. The most eye-catching of his tattoos, however, were the bold letters inked across his back, proclaiming: What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.

Rue raised an eyebrow. "Haven't seen Tinte yet this year?"

Aries shook his head. "Not sure what I want yet."

Iris, having gathered her thoughts since her cousin came popping in, said, "Yia-Yia is going to kill you if you get any more tattoos."

Aries smirked. "Not unless I give her my puppy eyes and explain that my tattoos are a way to express myself."

Iris pouted. "No fair! You get tattoos; Yia-Yia gets a little upset and then gets over it in a heartbeat. I even mention getting a tattoo; she has a hemorrhage."

Aries shrugged. "I'm the sad pathetic grandchild, 'Ris. It works in my favor sometimes."

Aries's team, also never having really looked at their boss's tattoos, were fascinated. "Aries, what do the notes stand for?" Emma asked, having little skill in reading music. She could read enough to tell it was something on the piano, but that was about it.

Aries smiled sadly. "It was my mom's favorite sonata. Franz Liszt's

Piano Sonata in B. Minor. She took me to see it performed once."

"Was that what you played at the funeral?" Rue asked uncharacteristically softly.

Aries shook his head. "No, Liszt's stuff is nearly impossible to play. I wrote that piece."

There was silence for a moment, and then Emma asked, "What was your mom like?" Aries and Rue had really started working for their boss after Aries's mom died. The team had been assigned to them in pieces a year later. Aries was still an enigma to them.

Aries stared at her. For a moment, Rue thought he was going to hex Emma, but then he turned away. "Like a roller coaster," he finally said. "My mom was like a roller coaster, up and down constantly. When she was up, everyone loved her. Every city we lived in, some guy would propose to her. We would just go on these adventures all the time. There was never a plan. One time, we were supposed to go to a party, and we ran into a group of gypsies. My mom charmed them, and they invited us to lunch. Next thing you know, we're in a different city. Five hours later, we show up at the party. Almost everyone had left."

Gabrielle laughed, remembering that day. "It was my ninth birthday," she said. "I was so mad that you didn't show up, and just as I was about to help Maman put away the leftover cake, you and Zana popped into our background. You were wearing an eye-patch, and Zana had a beautiful scarf tying her hair back. I opened my mouth to yell, but you were both smiling, and you had all these beautiful things to look at."

Aries smiled. "That was the only way I figured you'd forgive us," he teased. Gabrielle stuck her tongue out at him. Jacques rolled his eyes.

"And when she was down?" Emma asked gently, sensing a bruise there.

Aries' eyes darkened. "Mostly she locked herself in her room and wouldn't come out. She wouldn't eat or sleep. I'd have to ride those days out. Usually, she would snap out of it fast, but sometimes she didn't. She got better after Lena was born, but she still had bad days. One week, she didn't come out of her room for a week. The only thing we had in the house was peanut butter. Lena and I had eight distinctive meals made from peanut butter before the Delacours found out and invited us to dinner."

"How did you know?" Isamu asked, curiosity aroused. "When it was a bad day, I mean?" He winced as Emma wrapped up his ankle extra tightly, her silent way of reprimanding him for the tactless question.

Aries shrugged his shoulders, annoying Rue who was trying to patch him up. "I listened for the music." Upon seeing quizzical looks from all but Rue, he explained. "Good or bad days, my mom always played the piano. If it was a good day, she'd play themes for movie scores or just listen to the radio and play what she heard. We have a grand piano in the living room, and whenever she was in a good mood I'd join her there, and we'd make up our own melodies. On the bad days, she'd lock herself in her room and play on the portable piano. They were either old Greek lullabies or her original compositions."

Rue murmured a spell at the cut, causing Aries to hiss in pain. "That piano has seen better days," she added absentmindedly, now starting to wrap Aries's shoulder. "Then again, that's what happens when you take a sledgehammer to it."

Aries's face reddened slightly. "You could've stopped me. I was drunk, after all."

Rue shook her head. "No, I couldn't. You wanted to do that, drunk or sober. Drunk just made you braver."

Aries said nothing in reply. Most people seemed shock at Aries taking a sledgehammer to his piano, but few really understood the significance of the gesture. Even Jacques looked a bit lost. Gabrielle and Iris understood. Aries had worshipped that piano like Iris's Yia-Yia worshiped God. It was the one thing he loved more than anything. It had been in the Kalgarias family for generations and had been passed on to Zana when her parents died. Aries had learned how to play on that piano, had composed his first piece on that piano. To utterly destroy it like he had was his way of turning his back on music.

Rue finished wrapping Aries's shoulder. "Okay, you can put your shirt back on now," she said. "Wouldn't want your little Veela girlfriend to start throwing fireballs, would we?" Gabrielle blushed fiercely while Jacques chuckled silently, wincing when Iris kicked him painfully.

Aries winked at Gabrielle before carefully putting on his shirt. He assessed the rest of his team. Isamu's ankle's had been set, and other than a few minor cuts and bruises he was fine. Marsaille had gained a little more awareness after downing a Blood Replenishing potion, though Emma was still mending the three fingers that had been jammed. He himself had received the bad shoulder gash and a possible fractured wrist (though he'd sooner drink blood than mention it to Rue). Both the girls had been fine, but considering the three guys had entered first that wasn't surprising. It was clear to him now. This had been a trap.

"Anyone want to address the elephant in the room?" Aries asked theoretically.

By now, students had begun to make their way out of the Great Hall, leaving only a handful of people left. Gabrielle and Iris remained, concerned about Aries, and Dumbledore and a few of the professors (including Lily Potter) were present as well as Madame Maxine.

"Gee, Aries, I know Mar's getting a little flabby, but that doesn't mean…" Isamu jested, a smirk on his face.

"Fuck you, Mu!" said Mar raspily. "Just because I don't have abs on abs that girls want to lick like Aries does not mean I'm getting flabby. I have a girlfriend. What's the last date you went on?"

Before the squabble could further escalate, Rue cut in. "I think Aries was referring to the fact that we were set up tonight."

"But by who?" Mar asked. "Not many people have access to our operations, and those who do wouldn't want to risk them. That would cost them money and manpower."

Aries shrugged. "Could be a test," he suggested. "To see if we're ready for the next level," he clarified upon seeing his team's confused faces.

Emma looked horrified. "But everyone's contracts are up when the year is over," she exclaimed. "Why would they need to test us?"

Aries and Rue shared a look. "Not everyone's," Rue said.

Isamu raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean not everyone's?" he demanded.

"Rue and I still have time left, time that will be excused if I win the Triwizard Tournament," Aries explained, eliciting interest from the professors in the room.

Mar's brow furrowed. "But why?" he questioned. "What does it matter to the boss if you win the tournament?"

"No idea," Aries replied. "Bastard didn't make it easy either. I have to win all three tasks, not just the tournament overall."

Dumbledore, unable to resist any longer, put on his grandfatherly persona and asked, "My dear boy, may I ask what agency contracts young people such as yourself for services and what do they entail?"

"You can ask," Aries responded. "That doesn't mean you'll get an answer."

"Young man," McGonagall tried to scold, seeing the refusal to answer the headmaster's question as but the effort failed when Aries spoke yet again.

"Sir, my team and I are all of age and not currently enrolled in your school. As such, you have no authority or grounds to ask such questions. Ma'am, I am not a student of this school, and while I will be as polite as circumstances let me be, I will not obediently bow to the whim of an old man everyone in this country seems to revere."

Dumbledore and the Hogwarts professors were stunned while Madame Maxine just smiled triumphantly. From there, she took over.

"Dumbledore, it has been a long night for my student and his friends. Apparation or Portkey seems unwise with so many injuries, don't you think?" Madame Maxine noted coolly, her heavy French accent enhancing the coldness of her words,

"They can use my fireplace," offered Lily Potter, eliciting an icy glare from the headmaster. Much to her surprise, Aries flashed her a grateful smile before turning back to Rue. She gestured for the team to follow her. Only Rue stayed behind.

"We need to talk to Henri," she declared. "He'll have more information."  
>Aries shook his head. "No way he's home this late," he argued. He paused for a moment before suggesting, "Why don't you just stay the night, and we'll talk to him in the morning?" Aries turned to his headmistress. "If that is alright with you, Headmistress?"<p>

Madame Maxine hesitated. She had no objection to this girl staying the night, but she did not want rumors of anything improper floating around. As if reading her mind, Gabrielle spoke up. "She can stay in my room, Madame."

Madame Maxine smiled. "That will do, Ms. Delacour. Now you girls get to bed, and Mr. Kalgarias, please escort your cousin back to her ship." Her students immediately did as she said, causing looks of awe from the Hogwarts staff and frustration from Dumbledore. She smirked slightly at the older headmaster before leaving.

Hagrid could only watch in admiration as the Beauxbaton headmistress left the room. He had always said Dumbledore was a great man and still believed that to be true, but Madame Maxine was one hell of a woman. He'd need to step up his game if he was to stay with her. Hmm, maybe one of her students could help give him a makeover…

* * *

><p>Gabrielle lead Rue to her room, neither girl saying a word. Rue liked the silence, its familiarity, and Gabrielle was intimidated enough by the girl to not talk unless spoken to. Truthfully, she had only volunteered her room because this was Aries's friend. That had been enough for her.<p>

Unlike many, Gabrielle did not have a roommate, though the room thankfully did have two beds. As a part-Veela, she did not have many female friends, and most of her classmates preferred to have three girls to a room rather than share with her. Her only real friends were Aries, Jacques, and recently Iris. It was refreshing to talk and socialize with a girl who was not jealous of her looks or heritage. Then again, Iris was so stunning in her own right that it would be redundant for her to be jealous of Gabrielle.

The two girls got ready for bed in silence, though the young part-Veela did receive a nod of thanks when she set out a clean pair of pajamas for the dark-haired girl. Rue slipped out of her all-black clothing. Gabrielle, who had glanced back at the girl to see if the pajamas fit, couldn't help but gasp. There were faded strap marks and scars of other horrible things littered across her back in addition to the gruesome scars on her face.

"What are those from?" Gabrielle blurted out, her horror evident. The only person who had nearly as many or more marks on his body was Aries, and she knew how horrible his childhood had been before Zana.

Rue threw the nightgown over her head. "My father had an affair with a half-blood that wasn't his wife. When I was born, the Lady Macnair was furious. I was raised in the Macnair manor for two years until she decided my uncle was too lonely. I was given to him." Rue finally looked Gabrielle in the eyes, and she was shocked by the deadened look to the icy blue orbs. "My uncle was not a good man. He raped me every day from the day I turned three until I was six."

Gabrielle was shocked not only by the story but by the matter of fact way Rue had told it. She reached out and touched Rue's shoulder, shocking the girl. "I'm sorry," she said sincerely.

Rue looked at her, her icy eyes confused. "Thank you," she said tentatively, almost as if normal social interaction was strange for her.

The two got into their respective beds, Gabrielle turning off the lights with her wand. She thought Rue was asleep until she heard her say, "You know he really cares about you, right?"

"Who?" Gabrielle couldn't help but ask.

Even in the dark she knew there was an You're-an-idiot eyeroll. Aries would've done the same. "Aries," she said.

Curiously won over the beautiful Beauxbaton student and she couldn't help but ask, "How did you two meet?"

There was silence for a long time, and Gabrielle though her question was being ignored until Rue spoke again. "When I was six years old, I finally snapped. I went into the kitchen, took a steak knife, and carved lines into my face. I didn't really know what I was doing, but I knew my uncle couldn't stand to be with me if I wasn't pretty anymore. I was right, and he threw me out. Two days later, Henri found me. He said that he'd take me somewhere warm and safe and that he'll teach me how to defend myself so that no one could hurt me ever again. I didn't believe him at first, but he gained my trust. Three weeks later, he tells me that a boy is going to be joining me in my training."

She laughed. "I was unhappy to say the least. Excluding Henri, I didn't like men. When this boy showed up, I disliked him immediately. He was smiling, being kissed goodbye by his mum, and instantly charming. He told me his name was Aries. I said nothing. Henri told him my name, but I wouldn't say a word. The next three days went on like that, Aries trying to get me to talk and me not saying a word. Finally, Henri announced he would be leaving the two of us in the house alone except for the house elf for the next two weeks."

"Why?" Gabrielle asked, unable to contain her shock. Two six year olds alone for two weeks? It's a wonder the house remained.

Rue seemed to be reading Gabrielle's mind. "I know it sounds crazy, but Henri said that the best way for two people to become best friends was to be stuck together. The first three days proceeded like the last ones until Aries decided it had been long enough since he'd practiced on the piano. Eager to get away from this strange boy, I was in the other room. As soon as I heard the music, I was drawn back in. I just sat in the doorway, listening. It was so beautiful, so unlike anything I'd ever heard. In reality, Aries wasn't that good yet, but he was still skilled. After he finished, I told him, 'That was beautiful.' He just grinned and said, 'Does that mean you'll talk to me now?' Then, after each time he'd practice, we'd talk for a little bit, and eventually I got comfortable with him. We'd talk all night, wishing on stars and telling stories. By the end of the first week, we were friends. The second week we spent learning to be kids again."

Gabrielle laid in her bed, soaking in the story. And to think she had judged this poor girl, maybe even been jealous of her, this poor girl who had no one but Aries and Henri. She didn't want to show pity, only compassion. Few seemed to appreciate pity. "Thank you," she responded. "For sharing your story with me."

Gabrielle shut her eyes and tried to go to sleep, but she was not so far gone that she didn't hear the faint, "Thank you for listening." Smiling, Gabrielle fell into a deep sleep, not knowing the girl across from her would also sleep through the night for the first night in many years. It was a picture that would cause Aries Kalgarias, coming into the room to wake the girls up the next morning, to smile.


	18. Chapter 17

** Hey! Long time, no update? I know! Sorry! So this is kind of a filler chapter to set up the next one, but still. Aries and Rue meet with Henri, and the third task is announced! What will happen next? Who knows? Oh wait, I do… *winks* Review and enjoy! Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I'm just a vicious fangirl. Responses to reviews below.**

**Katerina Storm: Thanks! Do you know any other stories specifically with Harry being taken away by his godmother? I'd like to read them.**

**iDrinkCoffee: Thanks! I do kind of write in a roller coaster, I guess, but it just depends on my mood. A story needs balances. It can't be all angst or all fluff. **

**FotoDi: No, not good. Don't worry though. There's more to this than there seems…**

**Starless: Am not! Give it a chance. I could surprise you…**

**Slytherin66: Thanks! I have a fascination with tattoos, and I think that they say a lot about the person who has them. I did enjoy knocking Dumbledore and McGonagall down a peg. Hagrid doesn't stand much of chance. Madame Maxine is bad ass. **

**little-bast: I'm thinking it just stays in Rue and Aries's heads as blackmail. It seems like Rue already has some on Dumbledore, but more never hurts…**

**Frosty Wolf: Sorry about the length! I usually am more considered about getting you guys something, anything, than worrying about the length. I'll try for another Lily/Aries interaction soon. Maybe I'll mix it in with my Aries/Sirius interaction.**

**RonaldWeasely: Maybe… I'm not revealing anything! *winks* Aries's crush? Definitely Gabrielle!**

**Hippothestrowl: Thanks! I'm trying to gain experience. What's the other 1%?**

**Joe Lawyer: I don't know. I just don't like the idea of Rue and Aries together. I feel like some friendships are more powerful as friendships (ex. Harry and Hermione no matter what J.K. Rowling is saying now). To me, it would be really cliché to through Rue in the midst of the Gabrielle/Aries dynamic. Definitely going to avoid that! Sorry about the infrequent updates, but I'm doing the best I can. If it causes you to walk away from this story, well that's too bad. The plot will pick up in this chapter (hopefully), and the next few after this will be important. Stay tuned!**

**Mila Pink: Thanks! I hope so too!**

Aries did not sleep well that night. He woke up in a cold sweat, having been tortured by an old nightmare. Henri always told them that their old demons would fade as they got older and disappear into a distant place in their head, but some nights were easier than others. Aries thought he never would forget the feeling of being locked in the cupboard, thirsty and bleeding, delirious from blood loss. He vowed to himself that his sister and any children he might have one day would never feel pain like that.

Shaking off the bad memories, Aries took a long shower and got dressed. When he came back into the room, Rue was sitting on his bed. Jacques was still asleep. Aries wasn't worried about waking him. The guy could sleep through World War III. Rue was not in her custom outfit. She was wearing a long-sleeved gray t-shirt with a pair of black pants that were obviously not hers. Her hair was in a braid down her back. Aries raised an eyebrow. This was very bare for Rue. He was surprised she had left her room.

"Gabrielle leant me clothes," Rue explained, fidgeting slightly. "And my hair was too messy to wear down." She felt like she was naked. Usually she was hidden under long dresses and cloaks. It was strange to be this open.

Aries nodded. "Did you contact Henri?"

"He's on his way," Rue answered, fiddling with her braid. She studied Aries. "You didn't sleep last night," she stated.

"Nightmare." He didn't need to say much more.

"Cupboard again?" she asked gently. It was a fear that had never left Aries, not after all these years. He was no longer afraid of those Muggles, but memories of that confining space still scared him.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Rue could tell Aries wasn't in the mood to talk so she just squeezed his hand gently. Aries smiled weakly at her.

"I've decided something," Rue stated, changing the subject lightly.

"Hmm?"

"I like Gabrielle."

Aries froze. "What?"

"I said, I like Gabrielle."

He shook his head. "Rue, you don't like people. Ever."

She gave him a look. "I like you and Henri," she said.

"Barely," he muttered.

Rue sighed. "I like Gabrielle," she insisted. "I think she'll be good for you. Keep you out of trouble." She leaned her head against his shoulder. "Zana wouldn't want you to be so lonely, you know."

Aries sighed. "I know," he replied. The truth of the matter was he was falling in love with Gabrielle. It scared him like love always had, but he knew the alternative was what Rue had chosen: a closed off life. His mom wouldn't have wanted that. "Come on," he urged, pulling her up to her feet. "Let's go so Henri."

The old man was waiting for them outside that carriage. His eyes studied his surroundings periodically, completely aware of everything going on around him. It had been years since he'd actually been in law enforcement and even more since he had been a field Auror, but Henri had never gotten read of the mindset: Be ready for anything.

"Talk." Henri was in business-mode at the moment. It was the way he had been when Aries and Rue started training. Friendliness came later.

"We were set up yesterday," Rue explained. "Somebody leaked our mission information. We were surrounded. It was lucky we all made it out okay."

"Professionals?" Henri speculated.

"Definitely," Aries agreed. "They knew what curses to fire and had specialty cursed blades. I've only seen those on…"

"Wands for hire," Rue finished. "But why? What's to gain by setting us up?"

"Maybe it's a test," Aries guessed. "One of the boss's little games."

"No," Henri disagreed. "He's a mean son of a bitch, but he's not stupid. You two are assets. He doesn't want to lose assets." A light seemed to go off in Henri's eyes. "Well, I'll be damned?"

"What?" Rue and Aries said simultaneously, exchanging worried looks.

"He's prepping you to be full time agents," Henri said grimly, lines set in his face.

Horror was written all over Aries's face. "No!" he shouted. "No, that's why I'm here. That was the deal. Win the tournament, and I'm done!"

"And if he messes with the tournament?" Henri suggested. Aries became quiet. The older man sighed. "Keep your eyes open, and don't trust anyone. I don't like where the agency is heading."

"Why?" Rue couldn't help but ask.

"The boss admires Riddle," Henri admitted. "I don't imagine he would be reluctant to side with him given the opportunity." He let the two soak in the implications of that. Rue clenched her fists tightly. She would be damned if she ended up with a Dark Mark like her bastard of a father. Aries just knew he had to protect his sister, and nobody you loved was safe when you were in Voldemort's service.

Aries and Rue shared a look. No matter what, both of them would leave the service of the agency at the end of the school year. Even if they had to spill a little blood to get there.

* * *

><p>Spring came quickly, and soon it was time for the third task to be announced. All the champions were gathered into Dumbledore's office. Aries idly observed that he had been here much more often that his mother had ever been. He sat down in one of the chairs, politely refusing a sherbet lemon mostly because he suspected they were laced in potions but also because they were just vile candies. Ana flashed him a quick smile, and Drew Potter nodded at him. Malfoy sat like the perfect model pureblood, not deigning to look at any of them.<p>

"How's your grandmother?" Ana asked softly, knowing of the death in his family.

Aries shrugged. "She's coping," he replied. "Papou had been sick for a while, but still… When you've spent eighty some years of your life with someone, it would be a shock to lose him."

"Eighty years?" Drew repeated, shock written all over his face.

Aries nodded. "They had their anniversary in June. They met when they were sixteen and eloped four days later."

Ana raised an eyebrow. "That seems to be a pattern in your family." She remembered hearing the story of how Zana's parents met, and the marriage had taken place soon thereafter.

"So it seems," Aries agreed.

"And if Lena attempts to marry a guy she's only just met?"

"I'd kill and hide the body where you'd never find it," he replied.

Luckily, Dumbledore, Mr. Crouch, and Ludo Bagman entered with Madame Maxine and Karkaroff. Bagman was practically jumping up and down. Aries resisted the urge to snort.

"For the third task, you will be faced with a series of magical creatures and obstacles," Crouch recited blandly. "The task is May 24. You will receive more information about the location as the task draws nearer." With that, the head of the Department of International Magical Cooperation left the office.

Dumbledore smiled genially. "Well," he said. "I think Barty has said it all. Be prepared and good luck!"

The champions left the office, Aries feeling oddly disturbed. Something hadn't been right with Crouch, and Dumbledore had known. It was the reason they'd been rushed out of the office. He sighed, running his hand through his hair. He needed a break. His fingers had that familiar tingle they did whenever he had the itch to play the piano. He would never admit it, not to Jac or Gabrielle or even Rue, but sometimes he missed playing so much it actually hurt. He missed the finger of the sleek keys under his fingers, the rush he got whenever a composition fit together.

Remembering the Weasleys mentioning a room in Hogwarts that changed into what you needed, Aries went on a hunt. After an hour or so of navigating through the castle, he found what he was looking for. He opened the door and stepped inside. The room was well-lit with a beautiful grand piano in the middle. Aries slide a hand across the top. It was truly gorgeous, just like his mother's had looked before he had smashed it. He noticed that the sheet music provided was blank and grinned.

"There's no pen," he noted to himself. Immediately, a pen appeared on the top of the piano. Aries grabbed it and sat down at the piano.

He opened the case hiding the keys and traced them with his fingers. He played a simple melody, one of the first one he had ever learned. He exhaled, using his body as he played the music. Anxiety and stress melted off him as he played simple notes. He kept playing and playing, his melodies getting more complicated. He could've kept playing forever. Hours passed, and he was still at the piano, immersed in the music.

He never noticed the door open…


	19. Chapter 18

**Review Responses**

**xs18: Thanks! I am very much an AU fanfiction reader and writer, and I'm always excited when I can turn people away from canon from a little while. I do like Harry with Ginny in theory, but most of the fics I love are Harry with someone else. If Ginny is done right, the pairing works, but a lot of the time people undercut her in fanfiction, which sucks. I was inspired by a couple different things, the main story being Shikatanai's fanfiction Gabriel. I liked the idea of Harry being rescued from the Dursleys and adopted into a family with a strong cultural background and how that would actually impact him because ethnicity is almost never explored in the Harry Potter books. I mean, we know the Patil twins are Indian, but it's never talked about or explored beyond the fact they wore saris to the Yule Ball. Of course, Aries is a completely different creature than Shikatanai's Gabriel. I wanted to create someone who has had a hard life but is not completely hard, and I was desperate to expand the pool of Harry/Gabrielle pairings. Also, there are not enough stories where Harry is a student at Beauxbaton. Sadly, I don't think there's more than five or six chapters left in this story. I don't plan on any kind of instant forgiveness because that's not realistic, but I'm also not going to have Aries sadistically punish his parents for their mistake because that's not the kind of person he was raised to be. Trust needs to be earned, and the Potters don't even have a relationship to repair with Aries. They have to build an entirely new one because there just isn't one there. I'm actually iffy if everyone will discover who Aries really is. I don't think that's necessary to the story, but we'll see. I can say a limited number of people will know the truth. Don't worry! I never abandon a story. I keep writing until it says complete. **

**Novacore: Yes, this is a depressing story. It is meant to be. I try to add humor to lighten it a bit, and though I think it works, it is still a sad story. This is not a happy romance story or a crack fic. If those are the things you are looking for, I suggest you go elsewhere.**

**mdauben: I am setting up a few things, and I'm curious to see if anyone accurately guesses the direction I'm going in. Now, I can't tell you who's sneaking in. What fun would that be for me?**

**Slytherin66: Thanks! Gabrielle is too nice to dislike, and I think she and Rue could be good friends. I've been waiting to have Aries go back to the piano. His piano playing was originally a larger part of the plot when I was planning this story out, but I decided that there were other story points that were more important. I will be going back to it quite a bit in the next few chapters though. Can't tell you who opens the door… Aries will never completely shake the marks left on him by the Dursleys, both psychological and physical. Abuse like that does damage to a person that can only be dealt with the best the person can. He does not fear them because Aries has been trained and knows that he is stronger than them now.**

**Arkarian23: You know a reviewer is ungrateful when they leave a snarky comment when you update. I have an actual life outside of this website, and I do the best I can. Deal with it. **

**Oliviazo: Thanks! I always had this very tragic background planned out for Rue. Of all the characters in this fic, she is my favorite to write. I wanted her to beautifully complex in the tradition of Estella from Great Expectations, but I also drew inspiration from Imogene in Elagabalus's We, In Faith. I liked the relationship between her and Jean, the way she needed him but sometimes he needed her. I also loved that Imogene was just off balance enough to be interesting but not so much as to be crazy. **

**hlyarts: Read to find out! I will be going into the agency in the next few chapters. Obviously, it is not a great thing to be involved in, and everything will eventually come to a head. **

**McFallen101: Thank you, I think. There was definitely a compliment in there! I'll take it. **

**heathenlib6941: Gees, I've created a monster! I never in a million years thought the relationship between Aries and Rue to be romantic at all. I viewed in in the lenses of the canon Harry/Hermione relationship where it is a deep friendship that helps support the other person. Aries with Gabrielle was always my plan, but you guys are awfully interested in Aries and Rue together. Care to explain why? I honestly didn't pay much attention to where I placed Ana, but interesting to see somebody actually does care. This is not a harem plot! It will not be a harem plot! I'm Catholic. Just the idea makes me blush. Being closed off is not a way to live, but I also believe Aries is not the key to Rue's healing. No person can ever be the key to someone else's healing. That is propaganda promoted by really every young adult/ new adult romance novel in print right now. (Except John Green, because he rocks.) Interesting guesses for who opened the door. Read on to find out!**

**Magery: I will try to include more Rue, but there is not going to be an Aries/Rue pairing. I just refuse to do it! I like Gabrielle, and I don't think Rue would even take that risk of losing the one person in her life who really understands her over a romantic relationship. I do find it fascinating that everyone seems to be pushing for this pairing. **

**damthosefandoms: Thanks! I try not to Potter bash because it ignores so many issues and just bores me. Aries is not necessarily charismatic but I think that's because he's isolated himself in from a lot of the world. You'll find out more about Zana's death soon, I promise. I'm not giving any hints on Lena's dad. You'll have to stay tuned to find out!**

**V-rcingetorix: Thanks! I'll try to make sure I do that from now on.**

**May a Chance: Thanks! You'll learn all the secrets soon. Just be patient...**

**MAHA1959: Thanks! I think Aries's boss would ally with Voldemort if given the chance, but he certainly doesn't know the value of some of his agents if you know what I mean. Aries's boss does get something out of him being in the tournament, but you'll have to wait and see. **

**BJH: Not telling!**

* * *

><p>Lily Potter stepped in the room quietly, not wanting to disturb whoever was inside. She had been walking down the hallway on her way back to her office and heard the most beautiful melody coming from one of the rooms. Desperately wanting to hear more, she had tried each door until one opened to her. It was a surprise to her to see that Aries was the one playing the piano. She had heard rumors of him playing at Carnegie Hall or such when he was a child but dismissed it as the Hogwarts rumor mill at work. Clearly, what she had heard was true. He played the piano like his fingers were just extensions of the keys themselves, and Lily didn't think she'd ever seen anyone so passionate about something in her life. It was awe-inspiring to watch.<p>

Zana had always loved the piano, she remembered. She practiced nearly every day on a portable piano her grandmother had given her. Often, students tried to time when they'd do their homework to when Zana would practice because many found the sound soothing.

"Hogwarts should have a music program," Zana would often complain. Personally, Lily was glad it didn't because she couldn't sing or play an instrument to save her life. That was the one thing Petunia had always bested her at.

Still, Zana's skill on her beloved instrument came nowhere close to the talent her son displayed. He didn't seem to be following any sheet music; instead, he was scratching down musical notes onto blank sheets. Lily stood and listened for what seemed to be only seconds but must've been at least a half hour.

When she was about to leave, Aries's voice called out, "It's okay if you stay, you know." Lily turned around. "I'm used to having an audience."

She smiled. "So I hear. How long have you known I was standing there?"

Aries shrugged. "Since about five minutes after you arrived." Lily blushed. "When I was younger, my friends would come to get me for something and just wait while I finished whatever I was working on. I started listening for footsteps so I could finish up that place in my composition before being interrupted."

"You play beautifully," she complimented. "Do you practice often?"

Aries laughed a little bit. "Actually, I haven't been playing regularly since my mom died. This is probably the first time I've really played in a few years."

Lily raised an eyebrow. "Impressive," she said. "I wish I had musical talent. My sister used to play, and she was very good, but when she got married her husband made her give it up because he didn't want a woman besting him at something." Aries tensed slightly at the mention of his estranged aunt and uncle, but Lily didn't notice. "James and I couldn't carry a tune to save our lives and neither can Drew or Rose, but sometimes I wonder if…"

"If what?" Aries prompted when it seemed like she wasn't going to finish her sentence.

"If Harry would be like us," Lily replied, her voice slightly broken. "When he was a baby, your mother used to sing all kinds of lullabies and tunes to him, and he'd hum them right back to her." She looked at Aries searchingly. "My son would be about your age."

"I know," Aries stated. "My mom told me about him."

"She did?" Lily's heart seemed to stop. If Aries wasn't her son, could Harry be out there somewhere else? With another family?

Aries nodded. "She told me that someone wanted to hurt him and his family, and even though his parents did their best to protect him, he ended up getting hurt anyway. She told me that his parents got scared and decided that he'd be safer somewhere else without them. They sent him to stay with people who, as it turns out, didn't care whether he was safe or not."

"And what happened to him?" Lily couldn't help but ask.

Aries shrugged. "My mom always said he was rescued by a nice family and lived happily ever after, but I don't really know. He could've run away, I guess. I wouldn't blame him." Lily gave him a questioning look. "My mom adopted me from a home that was similar to the one in her story. I think it's the reason she told it to me."

"Your mother had a big heart," Lily remembered fondly. "She was always taking in stray cats and dogs and things that needed fixing. It drove Sirius crazy, having five cats roaming their apartment."

"She did," Aries agreed, choosing to ignore the comment about Sirius. He despised the man and wanted to hear nothing of him. "Sometimes it worked against her though." He glanced at Lily. "People abused it."

Lily felt Zana's son's blame rest on her chest. Clearly, he knew more than he was going to tell her. Still, she felt the need to reach out whether this was her son or not. "If you ever want to talk about her, I'm here. We fell out of touch for many years, but I knew her in school. You're welcome to see those memories if you like."

Aries nodded stiffly. "Thank you," he replied. He went back to his composition, hands resting on sleek keys. The tempo of this one was different, less sweet but more powerful. Though the sound was beautiful, it left Lily with a bitter taste in her mouth. She slipped out of the room, questions upon questions rolling through her mind.

Lily was so engrossed in her thoughts that she knocked right into a student. "Oh, I'm so sorry," she apologized, helping the girl up.

Gabrielle smiled. "Don't worry about it, Professor Potter," she reassured the older woman. "I was actually looking for Aries. Have you seen him?"

Lily gestured with her head to one of the rooms and put a finger over her lips. Gabrielle thanked her and headed towards the room. She opened the door just a crack and couldn't help but smile at the sight. Aries was poured over his piano, pounding the keys. She had forgotten how happy he looked playing this instrument. Worries seem to fall off of him as he played, making him look more like the boy she had befriended all those years ago.

Gabrielle closed the door gently. She'd let him have his secret for now, but there was no way he wasn't going to Julliard. Even if she had to drag him there herself. Or go with him…

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><p>Aries leaned against the tree, breathing in the fresh air. Though some of the winter chill still hung in the air, the weather had warmed up significantly. The sun was shining today, allowing him to do his third task prep work outside. He felt closer to his mom here. He remembered her mentioning she had a favorite tree in school, and now he could see why. It was positioned right by the lake, and the view from here reminded Aries of his grandparent's house, nothing but water in sight.<p>

His eyes flickered down to the texts he had checked out of the library. He had done the best he could with very little information. Most of the books were spells to be used against creatures, but he had thrown in a couple of defensive spell books for good measure.

He was scanning the texts when he felt warm hands rest on his neck. Aries grinned. Gabrielle's hands were always warm. He looked at her, scooting over a bit so that Gabrielle was able to lean on the tree too. She rested her head against his shoulder, looking down at his work. He was taking notes as he read, the ink smudging his hands.

"You work too hard," she mumbled into his neck, kissing it gently. "You need a vacation."

Aries laughed. "I need more hours in the day," he stated, putting his notes down for a moment. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"I'm serious," Gabrielle said, twisting around to look at her boyfriend. "You need a vacation. A seriously long relaxing vacation somewhere quiet."

"Are you in a bikini on this fantasy vacation?" Aries teased.

Gabrielle flipped her hair. "Only if you're lucky, Mr. Kalgarias," she replied with a smile. "Are the beaches in America nice?"

Aries shrugged. "The ones on the East Coast are, but the ones on the West Coast are freezing," he stated. "When we lived in New York, my mom used to take me to Long Beach. We'd hop on a train in the city and then walk the rest of the way to the beach. We'd eat ice cream and shrimp for lunch, and I would make sandcastles all day. I used to think it was the best place in the world."

Gabrielle fiddled with his curly hair. "Do you think you'd ever move back there? Maybe to-" she asked gently.

"To go to Julliard?" Aries guessed, rolling his eyes. Gabrielle blushed. "I've thought about it, you know? I loved living in the city, and I would love playing the piano all the time. But I can't."

Gabrielle sighed, kissing her boyfriend's neck. "You don't have to take care of everyone all the time, you know. You can take care of you."

"But Lena…"

"Would love to go with you, and you know it." Gabrielle studied Aries. "What's really stopping you?"

He played with some blades of grass by his knee, avoiding her eyes. "I want to find out who killed my mom."

Gabrielle felt like someone had punched her in the stomach. Her mind flashed back to a horrible Christmas and Aries's wild eyes and broken voice and the three months of school he missed afterwards. She didn't want him to revisit that place again. No one who loved him wanted him to revisit that place again. "Aries, Zana killed herself."

Aries turned away from her. "That's what everyone keeps telling me."

Gabrielle sighed. "Aries, the last time you got into this you smashed up her piano and didn't come to school for three months. Please don't do this to yourself again."

For a while, Aries said nothing, and Gabrielle thought he had dropped the subject, but then he said, "I've been going through all the evidence, and none of it makes sense. My mom supposedly hung herself in the shower that night, but the sound didn't wake Lena or me up. The knot was bad so her neck didn't break right away. My mom has spent weeks on fishing boats. She knows how to tie a night. Her suicide note was written on the back of a paper she never reads conveniently opened at an article about her ex-boyfriend's engagement. Still want to tell me she killed herself?"

Gabrielle just watched him. He sighed. "Look, my mom wasn't always all there. You know that. But, if she wanted to kill herself, I doubt she would've picked the most painful way possible."

"Okay," Gabrielle agreed. "Where do we start?"

Aries smiled, an actual full teethed grin, a smile she hadn't seen in four years. "We need to talk to Lena's dad."

Gabrielle blinked a couple of times, visibly shocked. "I thought you didn't know who Lena's father is."

"I don't," Aries replied. "But I know who does."

"So what are we waiting for?"

"I have to win the tournament first," he said quietly. "And then I get the information."

Gabrielle stood up. "Well then, what are you doing sitting around?" she asked lightly, ignoring the scary idea that Aries had made a deal with the devil. "We've got spells to practice." She pulled her boyfriend up.

Aries laughed. "I like the way you think, Ms. Delacour."

"Keep up the charm up, Mr. Kalgarias, and there will be a reward in it for you."

"Oh really?"

The two bantered back and forth on their way back to the carriages, never noticing a figure watching them from the castles. He wouldn't act, not yet, but when he needed to… He'd be ready…


	20. Chapter 19

Hogwarts was buzzing with excitement the day before the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Beauxbaton seemed to be the likely winner of the tournament, but many Hogwarts students were still rooting for a win. In the spirit of international cooperation, the champions from all three schools were hanging out and playing a light game of Quidditch. Malfoy was noticeably absence, but no one really cared much. Aries and Ana hadn't relaxed like this in months, and Drew Potter actually got along pretty well with the foreign champions.

Aries laughed as he dodged the Quaffle Ana tried to throw at him. He liked flying, but Quidditch had never really been his things. His mom always said that there was really only one thing a person can love fiercely, and his would always be the piano. He had been back in the Room of Requirements, as one of the Gryffindors told him it was called, a couple of times. It felt good to play again. At first, he played a few simple tunes, nothing too complicated, but then he wanted more. Before he knew it, a piece of sheet music and a pencil appeared on top of his piano. He still had one composition he really needed to finish.

Lost in his thoughts, Aries didn't notice Drew flying up next to him. Drew didn't say anything for a moment. He was intensely curious about Kalgarias, mostly because his parents also seemed to be. He knew that they and even Uncle Sirius had been digging into his background. No one wanted to tell him what was going on, and Rose was too young to notice anything odd going on. This was his last option.

Before Drew could even say a word, Aries said, "I'm not trying to steal your parents if that's what you're going to say."

Drew shook his head. "No, I just want to know what's going on," he insisted.

Aries nodded. "Fair enough," he responded. He respected the kid's honesty at least. "Your parents think that I am your long-lost big brother."

Drew opened his mouth and then shut it. He honestly wasn't sure what to say. He had grown up with Harry's shadow looming over his family. Ever since he a baby, Drew had heard the story of how his big brother had defeated the darkest wizard of all time. When he was little, he had wanted nothing more than to meet this hero brother of his, but his parents told him he had disappeared one day. Every big moment of his life, he could hear his parents thinking, 'I wish Harry could do this…' He wanted to meet his brother, he really did, but he was also jealous of him.

"And why would they think that?" Drew asked, raising his eyebrows.

Aries shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "They're your parents. Ask them." If Aries thought this would drive Drew away, he was sadly mistaken. He just stood there, waiting for a response. "My mom was your brother's godmother. She wasn't too happy when they abandoned him."

"Abandoned him?" Drew repeated. "My parents told me that he disappeared when I was little."

Aries desperately wanted to roll his eyes, but he stopped himself. Of course the sainted Potters would spin the story to make themselves seem like victims. He had been trying really hard for his mom to forgive the Potters, and he had been forming a tentative bond with Mrs. Potter, but this sent him over the edge. He remembered all of Uncle Vernon's slaps and punches, Petunia's harsh words, being hungry all the time… His parents, whether or not they had good intentions, had sent him to Hell when he was a baby.

"Well, they lied," Aries said. "From what my mom told me, that isn't shocking."

Drew was too shocked to respond to the insult to his family, but someone else had heard it and was seething. Sirius had been watching his godson and Zana's son play Quidditch, and he tried to picture what Harry should look like. The kid could be under long-term glamours, but those could wear out or be removed easily. He would bet Zana had performed a blood adoption. They were taboo in most countries, but old families like the Blacks were known to perform them. Sirius imagined it wasn't hard for Zana to convince her grandfather to perform the ritual. She was the youngest grandchildren and definitely the favorite.

He had hit a dead end after finding Aries's adoption certificate. The two had moved around several times before settling in France, but he hadn't been able to track down anyone that knew Zana that well. He considered contacting one of her distant cousins for information but had quickly decided against it. The Kalgarias family was a fiercely loyal bunch, and he doubted he would be received well even by an old friend. It seemed obvious that Aries Kalgarias was Harry Potter, and yet there was just no proof left that Harry Potter had ever existed.

Drew spoke up once again. "What happened to him?" Aries raised an eyebrow. "My brother. What happened to him?"

Aries shrugged. "I don't know," he replied. "My mom used to tell me about him when I was a kid. She said he must've ended up somewhere safe, but I don't know."

Drew seemed to accept this answer, but Sirius wasn't convinced. Zana was never one to roll over and accept anything so easily. She would've searched to the ends of the earth to find her godson, and Sirius had no doubt she had. He still wasn't sure exactly how Zana had found Harry, but he knew she had. Drew stayed behind to put away his broom and make sure the locker room was clean while Aries and Ana headed back to their respective quarters. The two friends chatted idly, Ana telling Aries all about her latest Potion experiment, until someone tapped Aries on the shoulder.

Aries forced himself not to react as he turned around. Sirius Black stared at him with gray eyes that were familiar and not at the same time. Ana watched both of them cautiously, determined not to leave. Gabrielle had told her Sirius and Aries's mother had had some kind of history and that Aries hated the man's guts. Ana loved Aries's mom, and she knew that Zana would not want Aries cursing some British auror over old hurts.

"Do you need something, Auror Black?" Aries asked frostily. He had nothing to say to this man.

"Please, call me Sirius," the man offered. Aries said nothing. He turned to Ana. "Would you mind giving us a minute?"

"I'd really rather not," the Durmstrang girl responded with a bit of snark. Aries bit back his laughter.

"Ana, it's fine," he said. "Tell Gabrielle I'll be there in a minute." His friend lingered a minute before deciding he would be okay. He waited until Ana was out of his eye line before speaking again. "I'll ask one more time. What do you want, Mr. Black?"

Sirius studied the face of the boy who should be his godson, who should've been raised by his parents. He couldn't see James in him anymore, but he could still see Lily in his eyes. "You were adopted in England."

Aries didn't react. "Good to know the Ministry's files are so secure," he replied. "Are you going to get to a point?"

"You look like Zana, but you aren't the right age to be her son. You were obviously blood-adopted illegally, and I can't think of anyone else Zana would do that for than my godson."

"And what would you be willing to do, Mr. Black?" Aries questioned. "Would you stick your neck out the same way, or just roll over and obey your master like a good little dog?"

Sirius didn't miss the jab aimed at his Animagus form. "Zana told you everything, didn't she?"

Aries didn't respond to that question. "So what is it you want exactly, Mr. Black? Your theory is very interesting, but I'm not sure I see the point."

"You have a family, Harry, a family that loves you. They've been looking for you for years. Doesn't that matter to you?" Sirius argued, his voice breaking slightly.

"My name is Aries, Mr. Black, and I have a family that loves me already. I don't need another one," Aries replied back. "And if I was Harry Potter, I doubt I would want to be part of a family that threw me away like trash."

"If you are Harry Potter?" Sirius repeated. "You are Harry Potter!"

"If I am," Aries shot back, "you'll never be able to prove it. Stay away from me, Mr. Black, and my family."

"I don't have any business with your family," Sirius insisted, curious at the implication.

Aries raised an eyebrow. "Even with my sister?" Sirius's mind flashed to the little girl attached to Aries's side after the first and second tasks, the little girl with startling familiar grey eyes.

"She's not mine," Sirius admitted reluctantly. God, he wished she was. He wished everything was different. He wished he hadn't been an asshole, that he had married Zana and had a gorgeous little girl with grey eyes. He wished that she was still here even if she'd probably be threatening him because he was cornering her son. Sirius Black, for all of his Gryffindor bravery, had lived his life like a coward.

Aries nodded. "I know, but I'm not sure Professor Potter understands that. Just tell them to leave me alone, Mr. Black. I don't have the time to mess with them."

Sirius narrowed his eyes. "The mysterious job?" he questioned. Aries didn't say anything. "If you're in over your head-"

"I'm not!" Aries insisted, his jaw clenched. For a moment, Sirius didn't see the powerful Beauxbaton champion or even his potential godson. He just saw a kid was alone and scared, who felt like he had to play the hero.

"If you are," Sirius continued, "there are people willing to help you." With that, he walked away. Aries glanced towards the carriages but headed to his tree instead. Black made it sound so easy, so simple. There are people willing to help you, Sirius said. You don't have to do this alone, Gabrielle told him. It's okay to be afraid, Henri insisted. No one really understood what he had to do. His mom had died owning a heavy debt. She had done it to keep their family safe, but Aries was the one who had to pay the price. He just needed to get through the tournament, and everything would be fine. He hoped…

**Cat Beats**: I never expected anyone to actually want a Rue/Aries pairing. It's very surprising. I'm still probably not going to change the pairing though. Hope you enjoy!

**ILikeComps**: Thanks! Aries getting back into music was actually a larger plotline when I imagined this story, but sometimes ideas don't develop the way you think they will. His investigation will definitely come to an interesting conclusion, but I'm not giving anything away…

**Gracealma**: I agree! Music is a vital part of Aries, and it's a way for him to heal and process everything. He should definitely go to Juliard. I do have a lot of subplots, and hopefully I can wrap them up well for you. As for someone watching Aries and Gabrielle, keep reading to find out!

**adenoide**: It seems so. As to the Potter question, PM me if you want more of what I have to say on this. I've talked about it in my other review responses.

**insertnamehere123**: Yeah, small typo/factual error. Thanks for letting me know.

**ShoredKafka**: Thanks! I will admit that I introduced elements that I didn't plan for earlier. As for Aries's behavior with Lily, I think that it is heavily influenced by his mother. Zana wanted him to forgive his parents on some level, and that is what Aries is trying to do. Lily is just the one he sees more often. He is doing the best he can, but I think he'll start to see he's faking it more than anything.

**Slytherin66**: Thanks! I plan to resolve that plotline, and Aries and Gabrielle definitely deserve a vacation. Gabrielle definitely does have a warm heart, but I don't think that it is an essential Veela trait. I view her as a person who naturally gives love and craves it, and that is the exact kind of person Aries would be attracted to.

**MAHA1959**: Read on to find out! I'm not telling!

**Amylin Christin**: Thanks! Lena is the center of Aries's world, and I really wanted to make sure she was realistic.


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